The Wrong Path
by dreambigwh11
Summary: It's a High School (ish) fic! Follow the Konoha crew as they go through the beginning of a Junior year and through the senior year as they battle to finish school with their sanity intact. Modern Konoha! NaruHina and SasuSaku among others! A/W for sexual themes and language. Part two is coming soon, stay tuned!
1. One Of Us v2

**A/N:** This is an edited version of the original, I would've done a complete rewrite, but I'm working on chapter ten. If I get extra time, expect a complete rewrite of the first chapter.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to The Dillinger Escape Plan and Black Sabbath, respectively.

 **A/N #2:** This story is meant to be a representation of high school, and everything it entails in a modern age Konoha, so don't expect it to be like the manga/anime. Now, sure most high school students aren't hard drug addicts, but the Naruto universe has never been normal, plus I want this to be a story of overcoming and finding love and getting better. It's not gonna be all dark, just it's not gonna be all smiles. It's hard to find a Naruto fan fiction that is like this, and this is what I'm most comfortable writing because I am familiar with some of these feelings and situations. I would thoroughly enjoy any reviews, concerns and positive things you might have to say, so much as long as you're not completely bashing it just because it's an AU fic that's not normal and it has a lot of OOC characters and modernization to it. Either way, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **NARUTO - POV  
**

* * *

 _September 15th, 6:15 pm._

School sucked. _Bad._ Why I even bothered to come here, I don't know. My mother forces me to, so I guess that's a good of a reason as any. I mean, sure I was 'popular', I play football, know karate, I like to party, but my friends, well, they _suck._

Talk about the sorriest excuses for fake friends. The only friends I truly like are Sasuke, Shikamaru and Sakura, the rest are petty, two faced, conniving sonuva bitches. Especially Kiba, the damn inu lover, I swear all that boy cares about is his dog, drinking and getting laid- the latter of which comes once in a drunken moon.

Ino was the gossip queen cheerleader, a deadly combo. She loves using her influence and looks to get the dirt on any and everyone that she wants. She then proceeds to use said information to blackmail people into doing what she wants and getting what she wants. Drugs, alcohol, sex, money, you name it and she gets it.

Shino, well, he's a quiet guy, I guess that's why I don't mind him eating with us at lunch, that and it keeps the bullies away from him.

Choji, too, I mean sure he's a heavy set dude, but that's no reason to torment someone for the entirety of the day, and even when he's in public. You would think him being on the offensive line would get him some slack, but I guess not.

Then there's the seniors. Neji is the basketball captain, kind of stuck up, but he's not a bully. Numerous times I've seen him kick some major bully ass when he get's the chance.

Ten-Ten is a cheerleader and, unsurprisingly, Neji's girlfriend of 3 years. Those two are as inseparable as Ino and her phone, or Kiba and his dog. Other than that I know she's a sweet girl, shy, not really outgoing.

Rock-Lee. Rock-motherfucking-Lee. That guy is scary fast and scary strong, a fitness freak at the least. Best running back to hit Konoha High in the past, well, ever. He's got a bright future ahead of him and college's are already trying to scoop him up. We're teammates, just not real friends.

I mean, my teachers are _ok_ at the best, Mr. Hatake in physics, Ms. Yuuhi in art, Mr. Sarutobi in math, Mr. Sarutobi's dad, who insists we just call him Hiruzen, in history, Guy-sensei in P.E., Ms. Nara, Shikamaru's mom, in geometry. And Tsunade, the busty principal every guy wants to feel up and her assistant/student counselor, Shizune. Tsunade also teaches health class, a class I don't exactly mind, for once.

Sakura is my best friend, next to Sasuke and Shikamaru. She's had her issues over the years, with her self consciousness, self image issues, wanting to fit in issues, _boy_ issues *shudder*. She's a cheerleader and constantly fighting with Ino, and she has parent issues, but she's been a good friend of mine for years.

Shikamaru is a smart, very smart guy. Also a lazy, very lazy guy. Captain of the chess team, as much as a joke that is, he's a very loyal dude. When in the mood, he can party all night and be able to still hang.

Me and him met in 6th grade and ever since, even though I am everything he's not, we've been best friends. Lazy bastard could've picked a position other than the punter, but then again, its Shikamaru.

And then there's Sasuke. Where do I start? My mother and his mother have been best friends/sisters since they were six, so naturally me and Sasuke were brought up together, we're practically kin to each other. Sure he can be a right asshole, and we've had our spats, but we both know in the end that we both will have each others back any day. Football has only brought me and him together even more, I'm glad to have him in my receiver corp.

You would think I'd be happy, what being the quarterback for a good football team, having good friends, money, a car, a phone and all the other necessities I might need or want, but demons lie in every corner of every hall and room, waiting to strike, thank kami my friends don't know, I couldn't bear facing them if the truth came out, and it looks like that if is becoming a when.

"DINNER'S READY, NARUTO-KUN!"

Oh yea, and my mom, Kushina. Single parent, father left when I was a kid, don't even know the bastards name or where he lives, haven't even seen a picture of him, to prevent me from going out to look for the wretched swine, I'm sure. Awkwardly, my mom hasn't dated much since then, can never get them to stay.

I love my mom to death and she works her ass off for us to be able to live like we do, what, being the owner of a principle fortune 500 company in Konoha, Uzu-tech, specializing in anything from phones to state of the art military equipment. The latter part not being a dinnertime topic. Top secret, I get it.

"COMING, MA!" I holler back, getting up out of bed and heading to my bathroom, to wash my face and wake up a bit, school is draining on the mind after all. I'm glad to have my own bathroom, it helps in the morning when both me and my mom have to get ready for school and work, respectively. Splashing the water on my face I see the bags under my eyes, getting bigger and bigger by the week. 'Kami I need to sleep more.' Ha, as if.

Walking down the stairs, I was greeted by my mothers smile shining as bright as ever and the smell of a home cooked meal, ramen, my favorite. She always knows how to cheer me up when I had a bad day. I would do the same for her, but this woman is such a tank, she's never sad, never frustrated. I need to ask her how she does it.

She looks at me and smiles "Ramen, your favorite, Naruto-kun. I can tell you had a rough day at school, honey." Beckoning for me to sit, I do. I already know she's gonna ask what crawled up my skin, and I'll feed her the truth with some lie-sprinkles, as usual. I'm starting to think she knows I'm lying.

I hugged her before sitting down, saying a small prayer before digging in. "Eh you know it's just another day at school dealing with teachers and students." I lied. "You know how I feel about seeing people be bullied." And there's the truth, I knew I'd find it somewhere in between bites.

Pretty sure that she knows I'm lying, I think she's just waiting to catch me. Clever woman. "I know, son, just deal with it as much as you can and if it get's too bad, Shizune can handle it." I know Shizune can, just Shizune cant stop it for more than a day.

"Yeah, I know, its what she's paid for." Of course, my mom sensed the lingering 'but' in the air, and stared at me until I continued. Sighing, I responded. "But, she can only stop it for a day, maybe a week. I know I personally cant do anything, but its getting on my nerves year after year." I continued eating, hoping she'd drop the subject and move on to her day, which as always, it's _great._

Thankfully, she did as I was hoping, moving ion to the new lines of phones they're getting ready to produce, and of course shot down my questions about the military stuff. 'Top secret, you know that Naruto-kun.' Yeah, yeah. I get it. The rest of the dinner went as swell as it could, and after picking up and cleaning the dishes, I heard that sound I figured I would hear pretty soon.

 _*buzz buzz_ * _*da-dun-dun-dun*_ A text, from Sasuke. _'Dobe, my place, nine pm, Shikamaru, you and me are gonna hang out and play some games this weekend before football season begins. I know your mom will say yes, just be here.'_ I mean, he wasn't wrong, and we did need a chill weekend before football started. Especially since our first game is against Wave Academy, one of the fiercest teams we play in our division.

"If that's Sasuke, I already know, me and Mikoto-chan already talked about it earlier. I'll see you Sunday Naruto-kun." Of course she knew. I guess I'll go pack up while she takes a bath, I need one of my own. Thankfully I have time, it's 7:15 and the drive form here to Sasuke's is only 15 minutes.

'Boxers, check. Shirts, check. Pants, check. Sleepwear, check. Toiletries, check. Patience, somehow still here, along with sanity.' I finished my mental checklist, hearing my mother shut off the water. Sighing, I do that a lot, I know, I reach into my closet and grab a lock-box, opening it I grab a small bottle, emptying it's content into my hands I pop the two pills into my mouth, downing them with some water, before heading to the bathroom and disrobing. 'Note to self: pick up some more on the way to the teme's.'

Soaking myself in the bath I lean my head back and relax, letting the water wash away the memories and hardships of today. Hardships? No, I'm blessed. More like mental troubles. That's the word I'm looking for, er, words. Whatever. I let time pass, before washing myself and getting out, dressing in a pair of dark wash blue jeans, a plain black V-neck shirt, my black and green Konoha cap, backwards of course, black socks and my tattered pair of all black converse shoes. Do I like dark colors a bit too much? Probably.

"Mama, I'm leaving, love you and I'll be sure to text you when I get there and let you know I'm okay, see you Sunday." I walk up tp her, laying in bed with her usual gloomy music on, and give her a kiss on the cheek as she smiles, leaning back into bed and reiterating my goodbye.

 _*buzz buzz_ * _*da-dun-dun-dun* 'I have the stuff, Kono-shop parking lot, corner of Wall and Jones, 8:15 pm. Sixty per usual. See you there.'_ I release a mental sigh for him having it, and also it's closer to Sasuke's than the one on Hokage boulevard and Nation road. I hate that part of town anyways.

Grabbing my keys and bag I head out of the door, getting into my truck and cranking it up, backing out of the houses drive way and driving off into the night, popping in my new cd I just got from a mutual acquaintance yesterday and letting the guitars and drums assault my ears.

 _And in the end, lay me to rest in the place we first had met my love. Let this never-ending nightmare seize to be in your arms, tonight, oh, tonight._

A local band, but they were good. Bullet Theory, if I'm correct, is their name. Not bad. The Konoha music scene was doing ok, some good local metal and rock bands, some death, some punk, some hardcore. A lot of wanna-be underground rappers, but that's everywhere.

 _Middle finger on the trigger, bitch, give it up, give it up._

That album took a turn, just as I took a turn onto Wall drive, spotting the Kono-shop and the black sedan that I was longing to see. 8:13, right on time as usual. Parking next to the black sedan with my window next to the driver's window, we both do a cop-check, before rolling our windows down, and exchanging goods for money.

After counting it, the red headed girl smiles before rolling off into the night, onto the next buyer/victim. I stash the stuff before heading out again, turning the music back up again, letting it serenade me to Sasuke's.

 _Never mind all the trials, the endless flames, tonight we'll shine like no other, an end to the suffering._

Not a bad acoustic track to end the ep.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _8:45 pm._

I heard a knock on my door, the dobe was early for once, surprisingly. I knew it was him, his truck rumbling, sputtering as the engine stops, his loud footsteps hitting the ground and my front door creaking open. I think somewhere along the line, we lost the need to knock on each others front doors, maybe the bedroom door, but that's a stiff _maybe._

"Teme, I'm here!" he announces in the house, was it a good guess that he knew my mom was probably working right now?

I guess so, as he just barged in my house. "No shit, get in here, dumbass." I fire back, as he swings open my bedroom door and tosses his bag onto my bed, knowing he can put it where it belongs later. We shake hands and pat each other on the back as usual, before he smiles and pulls something out of his bag.

"I told you a week ago I would come through." He was holding a copy of Call To Arms, an intense first person shooter co-created by Yama Studios and Erode, backed by none other than Uzu-tech. Go figure. It was released a week ago, but stores quickly sold out of it. Nothing like pizza, soda and shooting people. Gotta love it.

He puts the game next to my console, a relatively new Xbox One, and grabs his controller from his bag, a special order one he got a year or so ago, simple green and black, nothing fancy and extravagant. He plops down into a chair in my room, and opens a soda I had sitting for him.

"Nice, dobe, I guess being the son of a highly esteemed tech corporation owner has it perks, huh?" I jab at his ribs with a finger, causing him to look at me and just simply smile.

He takes a sip of his soda, before speaking. "You know I don't like flaunting our wealth, even my mom doesn't. But if I have the opportunity, you know I'm gonna use my influence. Plus it helps you and Shikamaru out too, so don't complain."

I waved my hands in the air as to dismiss his statement. "Ma, ma, you know I'm just teasing, dobe." Punching him in the arm softly, we hear Shikamaru's car pull up, hearing his bass from his sound system quietly rumble from the old stoner metal he's always listening to.

Just a few minutes had passed before he too walked into my room, waving hello and dropping his bag onto the floor and sitting down, looking at the game we had up. "Well, well, Naruto. You came through." Shikamaru smiles at the blonde boy, who nods and smiles back.

It was a quiet night so far, high school banter, talking about football, parties, getting wasted and passing out in the bath tub with a bottle of whiskey and a box of pizza. Naruto blushed a bit at that one before we all laughed it off like the friends we are. Eventually, the topic got to girls, as I had figured it would.

"Hey, Naruto, when you gonna find yourself a girl?" Shikamaru prodded at Naruto, getting a sly grin from the boy who simply responded.

"Girls, man. I mean, eventually I'd like to find me a nice girl to love, but it's not so easy, right teme?" He's good at shifting the attention from him to someone else. Why did I have to be in his crosshairs tonight?

I grunted, killing my last slice of pizza. "Hn, it's not. For once you're right, it's easy to find a simple lay but actually caring about someone?" Simply grunting again, the attention was back to the dark haired lazy man.

Shikamaru was shifting a little too uncomfortably in his seat, something both me and Naruto picked up on but decided to leave be for the time being. "Look at us, talking about love and girls." Shika laughed awkwardly. I guess now is a better time than ever to act on the dark haired junior.

"Ne, what's up Shika? You seem a bit unnerved by this topic." Perfect flow, I would like to tell myself.

"Ma, it's just...I've been texting this girl since our sophomore year and, well, she could be the one. But she goes to Suna High." Suna high? what was he thinking indeed? It's a good hour drive, maybe more, from here to there. This girl really must be something special.

"Ah, she a cutie?"

 _*thump*_

These two, I swear they hate each other but they don't. Please let this night go smoother than it has been already. Don't wanna fix any holes in the walls.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _11:30 pm._

"Say, Naruto, out of all the girls in Konoha high, who would you rather go out with right now?" Shika had asked me as I got up from the floor, rubbing my arm from his punch.

Adjusting myself in the seat, I thought over his words for a second. That really was a good question. "Hmm. Ne, not Sakura-chan, she'd beat me up before we ever went out. Ino, nah, I don't want any disease and I rather like my wallet full." The two boys agreed, a mutual liking for money wasn't a bad thing. "I...honestly don't know much about the others."

I looked towards Sasuke, who had a thinking look on his face. "What about that Hyuuga girl, Hinata? I think that's her name."

Hinata, how could I have forget about her? Just kidding, it's easy. She's shy, quiet, never makes any noises really in class. Somehow evades bully, probably because her cousin is Neji. Lucky girl. I haven't noticed her much, I know she likes art, but that's it. "The quiet girl? I don't know teme, none of us know much about her."

"Hinata Hyuuga, seventeen, sophomore in the top five percentile of our class. Dad is Hiashi Hyuuga, owner of Hyuuga Auto, one of the biggest automobile companies in the surrounding nations. Mother died a few years after she was born, in labor with her younger sister Hanabi, who is 13 and a incoming freshman next semester. How do I know all of this? Sitting next to Ino for one day at lunch has it's perks, and likewise, she annoys the shit out of me." Shika had finished with his mouthful of information.

It was something to think about. She was kinda cute, very mysterious. I don't know why, but I liked that a lot. Thinking about classes I know we had at least history and art together, and the same lunch. Maybe I could try to...eh, leave it for the rain. "Eh, we'll see."

I wanted it to end on that note, and thankfully it did. But still, I couldn't help but let my mind wander to the mysterious lavender haired sophomore, wondering what her night was going like, and if it was anything like mine.

And, if I'm being honest, I doubt it is. From what I do know about her, after her moms death she became a bit recluse. Rumor has it that she's gay, but I doubt that. Just like Sakura could be gay. Lesbian, I mean, that's the proper word for it.

But could she be a tweaker just like me? I doubt it. Her dad's super protective of her and wouldn't let her get away with anything. Again, these are all just rumors but rumors speak if in quantities. All it takes is one to start and eventually the truth comes out. Why was I so suddenly interested her, though? It's been a minute since I've dated, sure, but still.

I've been alone like this for a lot of my years so there's no point in being disheartened and shit. It'll come eventually.

Eh, fuck it. I can't help but think about her anyways.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _September 15th, 9:45 pm._

Kami, my dad needs to go to sleep. I love him, but I need my solitude right now. Today has been one helluva day for me. I know the way those girls look at me, they all wanna say something, but they're afraid. Of my cousin, of my money, perhaps even of me. Then, I swear Naruto-kun caught me looking at him, but I'm not sure anymore. Ugh, this headache isn't any better than earlier. I just wanna shoot myself. Not such a bad idea currently...

"Hinata, I'm going to bed, I hope you feel better sweetie." Ugh, not the sloppy forehead kiss again. I get it, my mother used to do it every night when she was here, but good lord he's not my mom. No matter how hard he tries to be, he can't replace my mother and still be my father.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about Mama. I miss her, so much, it hurts everytime I think about her. But I cant not think about her. Not while I'm sober at least. Even if I think about her when I'm spun, the drugs numb the pain. If only Papa knew how much his little angel was hurting, or how imperfect she really was, maybe he'd think twice about kissing her goodnight. _Maybe._ Knowing him, he'd still do it just to spite me.

Yea, sure, I'm the quiet, rich girl in school, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun. Right? With a sigh I go and lock my door, stuffing a towel in the crack under it and saying a quick prayer that my dad's room is a good distance away from mine. I walk into my closet and grab a safe, walking and setting it on my bed.

Unlocking it and opening it, I smile at it's contents; a few pictures of my mom, a necklace of hers, some earrings but most importantly, at least right now, a small clear bag with a brown powder in it, a spoon, and a syringe.

Putting a bit of it's contents in the spoon with a bit of water, I grab a lighter and hold it under the spoon till the contents cook a bit, before grabbing a tiny, pebble sized ball of cotton and putting it in the substance, sticking the needle in it and sucking up as much of the liquid as I can.

I grab a field tourniquet from my first aid kit and put it on my arm, holding the end in my mouth and one in my hand with the needle, letting my vein show. Slowing my breathing I plunge the needle into my vein and empty its contents into my bloodstream, putting the needle and everything back up as the rush hit me.

Kami, it felt so good. I grabbed my favorite remote and turned it to the metal channel on the cable TV, letting the songs of the night soothe me along the ride as I change from my jeans into a pair of sweats, and tear off my bra and shirt, pulling a big tee over my head and flopping down into my bed, letting my brain swirl around me. I knew tis wouldn't last forever, but I was prepared to cook up some more.

Just barely reaching the light string on my fan, I sit in my darkness. _'Too dark'_ I got up and lit three or four candles. Riding the train was fun, it took me away from the city of pain and sorrow I was living in to a land where those two things ceased to exist, in their wake they left happiness, courage, and most important of all...peace.

 _She moves abstract just, like a shadow dancing on the edge, like a storm cloud passing overhead. Effortless and free_

I wish I was a storm cloud just moving overhead, floating lazily, no effort. That's what it felt like right now. Just floating in a sea of white. Then again, if I was a cloud, Shikamaru could just stare at me, and that'd be weird. Hehe.

 _As the hours rush by, through her I can sense the end of time._ _There's no way this can forever shine._ _Make the sun not rise._

It wasn't wrong, the hours did rush through in my state of mind, as the tunes kept coming and coming, serenading me into a deeper high. Unfortunately, like the song said, there's no way this was gonna last forever, and I did start crashing. Time to up the dosage.

 _In the age of reason, how do we survive?_

Good question. I'll let you know when I find out.

* * *

 _September 16th, 2:32 am._

Jeez, time had flown while I was flying. I feel the comedown hitting me hard, and I was out of drugs. 'Sucks, can't get any till after school.' I needed something to help. Anything. Feeling defiant, and confident, I grab my keys to my Jeep. What a strange name for a car, apparently it's western but meh. I needed something sweet, maybe ice cream, and if I went to the right store, some smokes.

The only place that either won't ID me or tell my dad is the Gas 'N Stuff on Roamer and Berry. It'll have to do, even if it's fifteen minutes away from my place in the _good_ part of Konoha. Tip toeing down the stairs as to not wake either my dad, cousin or sister, and into the driveway. Turning the key I hear it crank up thankfully quiet, and pull out of the driveway, cruising down the road to my destination.

I've had enough music. Just the sound of tires on pavement is good enough to get me to where I'm going. Finding a parking spot next to an awkwardly familiar truck, I enter the store, grabbing a pint of vanilla ice cream and a cinnamon bun.

Putting the items on the counter pointing out the pack of cigarettes that I wanted, a familiar voice sounds off behind me, making me freeze in place.

"Hinata?"

Of course he was here, the blonde boy of my dreams, Naruto Uzumaki, standing right behind me as the cashier bags my stuff. I pay the man and turn around face him, smiling and waving before hurrying out the door, getting in my car and starting it and quickly escaping the situation.

'Too close, Hinata, too close.'

I need sleep. After ice cream. Kami bless me.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

Well, that was weird. I shrugged, popping a cigarette into my mouth and getting in my truck, Sasuke's ice cream and Shikamaru's candy in the passenger seat as I head back to Sasuke's, which was only a few minutes from here. The guys might have an opinion on this situation, hopefully. Whipping back into the driveway and walking back into the house, I walk into Sasuke's room and toss him his ice cream and spoon and Shikamaru his candy, who just nod and give me a thanks. "Ne, you'll never guess who I ran into at Gas 'N Stuff."

Shikamaru chuckled. "What, the hooker who keeps asking you if you 'want some of this'?" He laughed with Sasuke until they saw the look on my face and decided to be serious. "Ma, I was joking, who'd you run into?"

"The one and only Hinata Hyuuga." I saw, stealing a piece of candy from Shikamaru and popping it out of its wrapper. Caramel filled milk chocolate, yum. "But it was weird. She seemed...off. Like she wasn't, well, sober. She had to be on somethin'." Truth be told, her eyes looked a lot like mine when I'm high, I just didn't want it to be true.

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke looks at me strangely. "What makes you say that?" He asked. This oughta be fun, explaining to them how I know why she was on something.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, I start my explanation. "There's a few things. First, for the quiet girl she was smiling way too bright, second, her eyes, they were droopy, like that one time Shika took too many of his painkillers when he pulled his hammy. Third, her breathing was a bit off and she seemed a bit 'floaty'. She wasn't exactly high, just I know she had done something recently." I see the looks on their faces, and raise a hand to stifle their questions. "I always liked drug prevention studies. One subject I'll pay attention to in health class." Not a full lie, but good enough.

They seemed to be contempt with my answer. "Well, what do you suppose we do about this, then?" Good question, Shikamaru, what do you do about the quiet girl that uses drugs that never talks to anyone, never goes out, especially not at 2-fuckin-30 in the morning, or always runs from people who approach her.

Putting a hand on my chin and resting my head on it, I start thinking of the ways to approach her, and I know the best way, I just cant say it. The best way to approach a user is if, one, you're a user, and two, you corner them. "Ma, I'll try at school Monday, let's just talk about our first game Friday against Wave."

It was an easy subject to sway our minds into talking about the thrill of the game, and especially Wave's ferocious defense. Their corners, ends and linebackers are some of the top prospects, and even if they're missing their star quarterback, the offense isn't too shabby.

"Ne, with that defense I guess I'll be seeing a lot of playing time then." Shika may not be wrong, I think this is gonna be a low scoring game. Maybe 24-21 in our favor.

"Not if the dobe throws on target this time." Fucking asshole, he'll never forget one pass. ONE PASS.

"Shut up and pick a map, teme's." And with that, the night carried on, as my mind continues to wander to the Hyuuga girl. To be honest, she looked kinda cute in those sweats and sandals...I need a smoke.

* * *

 _September 18th, 12:15 pm_

Ah, lunchtime, show time. Grabbing a tray and waiting for Shikamaru and Sasuke to find a seat I pray a quick prayer, this time not just for the food, but for the lavender beauty in the corner of the room, eating quietly with her headphones in her ears. Amen. Time to eat.

As Sasuke and Shikamaru find a seat they notice my food was half gone already. "Did you even taste your food?" Shika laughs, even though he knows exactly what I'm trying to do. I need to hurry up and eat so I can find my way over to her, sneakily.

"Ha, yea, but you know what I'm trying to do." Well, they do, hopefully. I'm sure at least the teme remembers.

To confirm my thoughts, Sasuke nods. "Yea, I just don't know how you're gonna do it. But if anyone, it's you." Thanks for having faith, teme.

"Yea, yea. It takes a brash person to break open a quiet shell. Naruto, you can't go in like a bull in a china shop though." I know, Shikamaru, trust me, I know.

I just simply nod as I swallow my food. "I need to finish this first, and I like mama Akimichi's meatloaf too much to just wolf _all_ of it down."

I didn't even notice the quiet Chouji next to us. The man never speaks. "The secret is in the bread crumbs and seasoning. The meat is just your average ground beef." Well, that's definitely interesting. I guess it's a good a time as any to speak, Chouji.

I smile and clap him on the shoulder gently, giving him a thumbs up. "Thanks dude, I'll be sure to remember that when I wanna try out making my own."

"Everyone has their own recipe in life, Naruto, just remember that." Wise words indeed, my fine, fine friend. It's game time though, I need to get over to Hinata before she whisks away from me. Standing up I head over to her, but she notices me coming. Shit, I need to learn to be a bit more sneaky. She stands up and ducks out of the door heading to the back of the school.

Not running, but fast walking I gently chase, if you could call it that, after her. For some reason she ignores the obvious hide out and walks past the women's bathroom and ducks out the back door. Not a few seconds after, I was out of it too, but she was long gone, somehow.

Sighing, I decide to try and catch a quick smoke, grabbing a cigarette I hid in my shoe and lighter, but before I spark it, a smell hit my nose. Tobacco. Hmm, wonder who that could be...rounding the corner quietly the smell get's stronger, before I hit the spot where it's coming from. The little Hinata, between two A/C vents running up the building. "Busted."

The look on her face was priceless, especially as she dropped her cigarette and fumbled over her words. "I-I'm s-sorry. I'll b-be g-g-going now." She moved towards me, trying to leave her little hiding spot.

I can't let this opportunity pass, though. I was, after all, blocking her way. I lit my cigarette and bent down to get hers, handing to her with a smile. "I'm only busting your ass, Miss...Hinata, was it?" At that she simply nodded, taking her cigarette back and taking a puff off it. Taking a hit of mine, I slowly exhale, before continuing my sentence. "I admit it was rather, weird, running into you in that part of town at two in the morning, what were you doing over there?"

She just shrugged, but I knew why. "Ne, I know, it's the only place that doesn't ID people." Again, she nodded, did she not know how to talk or something? It wasn't long before we both finished, and she politely moved past me. It's now or never, Naruto.

"Hinata, I know."

Those three words made her freeze, three simple, innocent words.

"Know what?" Please don't play dumb.

"It was obvious that you were on something, more than likely an opiate. Which one was your poison that night?" Right where I want her, even if she could just walk away.

"How...how do you know" Oh come on, it's obvious by now.

I smile, walking up to her frightened and shocked being, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Because," I looked her dead in the eye "you're not the only one here that uses."

I guess that was enough for her, she went to walk away but I stopped her one more time. "Hey, here, take my number, in case you need anything, or anyone." I thrust out a piece of paper with my number on it. With a trembling hand, she takes it and nods.

"T-thank you, I must go now, t-though." And with that, she was gone, leaving just one question on my mind.

What had I just got myself into?

* * *

The rest of school and my night with my mom had gone relatively quiet, me and Hinata had exchanged glances in classes, but nothing more. It was eleven at night now, my mom was fast and long asleep before I grabbed the lock box in my closet, before finding the brown powder in it and the tools I needed before I found myself flying in the sky, much like Hinata last night.

 _2:11 am._

 _*buzz buzz* *da dun-dun-dun*_

It was 2 am, it must be Hinata's favorite hour, because that's when she texted me. Who am I kidding, I was up too, nodding out but I was up too.

 _"I'm sorry. It's just that no one knows, so to be confronted about it threw me off guard completely. We can text more tomorrow, but I'm crashing out. Goodnight, Naruto-kun"_

Me too, 'Nata, me too.

 _"Goodnight, 'Nata."_

I have a feeling this is the beginning of one helluva shit storm...

* * *

 **A/N:** Phew, hopefully a good chapter to you guys, but I'm personally happy with the way it turned out, lemme know what y'all think!


	2. Enter: Sandman!

**A/N:** Inside this story is probably the smallest lemons/limes I have ever wrote. Also, I suck at making up alternate names to cars and stuff, if anyone can help please pm me or leave it in a review haha.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or the lyrics in this chapter, which belong to Metallica and Simple Plan. \m/ -.- \m/

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _September 19th, 6:15 am._

 _*buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz-smack*_

Ugh, I hate, hate, _hate_ mornings. Almost as much as I hate school. At least I'm up early enough for a bath. Starting my bath and getting undressed, I put my bath salts in the tub and lower myself in, taking in the aroma of the soaps. Lavender and vanilla, they've always been my favorite scents since I was a little kid. Since my mom died, at least...enough of that, I want a decent start to this morning.

Yesterday was one terrible day for me, the only upside is I got Naruto-kun's number, so that counts for something, even if I did try to run away from him. I hate when people corner me, it usually doesn't end well but with him, well, I froze. Bad. He shouldn't have found out I did drugs that way, let alone at all. I thought for sure he was gonna hate me, but as fate would have it, he's going through something similar to me. Single parent, said parent is the owner/operator of a big company in Konoha, listens to heavy music, and most importantly, he's a user too.

The only way this could get better is if he was in the bath with me right now...no, bad Hinata! You must not think dirty thoughts like that! But still...moving on! I need the strength to get through this day, kami, help me out here. I grab my phone and flick through it, finding my music app and setting the tunes for my relaxing bath. Well, what _was_ my relaxing bath.

 _*buzz buzz* "Good morning Hinata! Can't wait to see you at school :)"_

I still don't get why all the sudden interest in me. Is it because I'm more like him than the others? Or am I just another one of his flings? I know how he is, he's had a few relationships. Even one with Ino. Ugh, glad that didn't last more than a month. Then there was Karin, before she moved to Sound Tech High area. Kin too, her and Karin were inseparable, so it came as no surprise when those two had a little rivalry when Naruto switched from Kin to Karin. I heard they're both doing ok now.

Sighing, I decide to text Naruto back. _"Good morning Naruto :)"._ It's the best I can muster up right now. I'm not as shy as I used to be, the only reason I'm still quiet is because I can't afford any of those lecherous girls finding out about me and my habits, I can just read the headline now, "Quiet girl in school is a dope head." Charming. I don't know why but this morning, my blonde crush keeps slipping into my mind, as I lean back in the tub and dream of him slipping into, well, something else...

 **O.O.O.O**

I couldn't help but let a hand wander down to my throbbing private area, I must be starting soon, I'm not usually this, er, riled up in the mornings. Or ever. I moan quietly as a finger brushes over my entrance, as the internal debate begins: to do or not to do? I found my answer rather quickly as I slide a finger in, trying to keep my moans down as my finger bucks in and out softly at first, picking up speed throughout. My other hand travels down to my clit, rubbing gently, stimulating me even further. It didn't take long for me to reach my climax, whimpering softly as my orgasm rocks my body, so I don't draw any unnecessary attention to myself.

 **O.O.O.O**

What got into me? Isn't this what normal teenage girls do anyways? Then again, I've never been a "normal teenage girl." Is that such a bad thing? It's debatable. I mean, it's not my first time doing it but...

As soon as I get done with my bath, a soft knock raps on my door, drawing my attention to it. "Princess, you up?" It was my dad. I felt so... _dirty_...being called princess after what I've done. Never mind that.

"Yes papa, I just got out of the bath, be down in a few." I grab a pair of form fitting jeans, a black plain bra, matching panties, a purple V-neck tee and my usual thin, black jacket. Being a girl I get cold easily. Deal with it. I throw my socks and all black Vans on and hustle down the stairs to eat breakfast and get on my way to school. Sitting down I find my sister there, the sweetheart she is, eating with my dad.

"Ohayo, Hinata-nee-chan." She smiles at me, looking as awake as a thirteen year old can be at seven in the morning. I smile back and sit at the table, preparing me a plate and starting to pick at it. We didn't have to be there till 8:15 and it was a fifteen minute drive to the school, but I liked being early so I could listen to music and smoke a few cigarettes before going into that school and dealing with those teachers and students.

"Hinata, I've heard you're doing pretty good in school, just the teachers say you're a little shy. Normally, as a father, I'd be happy to hear you haven't thought about boys, but I am a little curious, it's ok to make friends." Ugh, he had to bring up boys. I'm sure he probably thinks I'm seeing boys behind his back and stuff, this is just his way of trying to get me to confess without outright saying 'hey pops, I've been seeing boys, having sex and drinking alcohol! Aren't you proud?' Haha, not a chance in hell.

 _*buzz buzz* "Hey, did you do Hatake's homework?"_ Well, shit, perfect fucking timing, Naruto. Thanks. _"Yea, talk to you at school, eating breakfast."_ I could just see the look on my dads face, and his internal grin he was having. I had been caught red handed. "Ne, dad, it's just a classmate asking if I had done my homework." It wasn't a lie, per say.

"And who is this _classmate,_ Hinata?" Oh fuck me. He had to ask. Quick, Hinata, think!

"It's, uh, Sakura, Sakura Haruno. She's a real nice girl, I've been helping her out with Mr. Hatake's class." Nice, smooth. Now he surely knows something is up. Please just drop it, dad. I'm not in the mood for twenty questions.

"Hmm, ok." He knew I was lying, but he decided to wait until a more opportune time to hit me with his thoughts. Well played, father. I quickly finished up my breakfast before bowing to my dad and sister before trotting out the door and into my car, cranking it and bolting away from the house. Phew, I had narrowly evaded his questions, for now at least.

Seriously, though, Naruto. The hell, man?

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _September 19th, 7:20 am._

Well, yesterday was fun. Today should be even better. Right now, though, is _just fine._

I popped a couple of pills when I got here a few minutes ago, and now I had one of my all time favorite bands on my aux cord jammin'. Metallica were legends, even if you weren't into metal, most people recognized the name.

 _Exit light! Enter night! Take my hand; we're off to never never land!_

Thank kami no one got here early like me. Or at least parked on the backside, by the dumpster and grease trap from the kitchen. They all thought it smelled, but I think they're just too high and mighty to park their nice cars next to anything that wasn't nice. My truck, just a regular ol' Roadblazer 2200, wasn't all nice but I didn't care. Me and this truck had been through some shit.

As the pills started to kick in, I lit up a cigarette, and just a few drags in I saw this car pulling up to me. Normally I would've freaked out, but I recognized that Jeep from anywhere. Hinata. Of course she had been listening to her somber emo metal, but I have to admit, her, the music and the smoke from her cigarette make a really cute pairing.

Wait, cute? Get ahold of yourself, you just met this girl formally yesterday. They do say it's possible to fall in love in four minutes, but...then I heard her speak from her window and into mine

"Ohayo, Naruto-kun." After hearing her speak firmly for the first time, I realized just how beautiful her voice is, the way it flows smoothly into my ears, her words dancing through my head. How could no one have noticed her before? This, what seemed to me, angel of a human being. I've gone soft, ne?

I tried to muster up my voice and all I could get out was a simple "Hi, Hina-chan." Kami, man, have some balls. This isn't middle school with that one girl again. No, this was much, _much_ better. I could see from the look in her eyes that she was on something again, which is probably the only reason she has the courage to speak to me right now. I can't judge, nor do I want to, as long as she speaks with me more often, I'm happy.

I knew she was blushing from my compliment and shortening of her name. Could she like me? Surely it's the only reason she's talking to me right now, but is this just a crush or could this be, I don't know, more than that. I barely heard her next sentence I was lost in my own thoughts.

"Ne, Naru-kun, if we're doing that now, can I come sit with you in your truck? No use in both of us burning gas." She giggled the Naru-kun part. I couldn't do more but dumbly nod as she turned her Jeep off and moved to my passenger seat, lighting up a cigarette on the way. Today is already better, by a long shot. To make this week perfect, we just need to beat Wave.

"Say, Hina-chan, how was your morning?" What was with this girl and blushing, she had that orgasm glow, but I'll leave it at that. Not a good topic to bring up to a girl on day two of you two talking. I may not have had a dad, but that's just common fuckin' sense.

She just leaned her seat back, exhaling a cloud of smoke from her lungs. "It was good, a normal breakfast with my dad. Your text almost got me in trouble with him though." There's that giggle again. I swear she's teasing me now, the way she's leaned back in the seat showing off the perfect amount of cleavage. I'm seriously starting to wonder how nobody noticed her now. "I had to tell him it was Sakura-san."

"S-sorry about that." I stuttered out an apology. Kami I'm stuttering now. The hell is wrong with me? That's it, I need to get to know this girl. "But hey, we're having a little get together Saturday night at my buddies to either celebrate winning or losing the game if you wanna come." I had to force a smile, so she knows I'm being sincere.

I could tell by her blush she wanted to, but I knew her dad might be a problem. "I want to, but what about my dad? I doubt he'll let me go." Suspicions: confirmed. Not to fear, Naruto Uzumaki has a will, and a way.

I gently put a hand over hers, intensifying her blush tenfold. "Hinata, you snuck out at two in the morning spun the hell out for ice cream and smokes, who's to say you can't sneak out again to spend some time with me and have fun?" Hook, line and sinker. I know she wants to. "How bout this, tell your dad you're staying with Sakura-chan Saturday night. She'll help you out there and since her parents don't care what she does, they won't snitch. And it won't be a full lie, you'll be going home with her chances are or she'll take you home." I should be a negotiator, or a salesman.

She was thinking it over, deep in thought for a minute before the questions came.

"What if I'm the only girl there besides Sakura?"

"You won't be, trust me."

"What if a guy hits on me?"

"I'll knock them out."

"But, they don't care if I come?"

"It's a party for us football players. They've told me to bring who I want."

"No one knows me though..."

"I do. That's enough to keep you safe."

"I want to trust you."

"I promise you won't get hurt, on my life."

"Ok, I trust you...but what if-"

"Hina-chan, you'll have a good time, I promise you that, and if you don't then I will take you home whenever you feel uncomfortable. You're really pretty, you'll get along with everyone, once you come out of that shell everyone will see how cool you are." I smiled at her, eyes locked with hers, as our fingers subconsciously locked with each others.

"Why are you doing this? We've only met yesterday." It was a good question. Why was I doing this? I've always loved the dark, mysterious girls and she's the queen of them all, and just from this short amount of time spent with her I can tell she has such a sincere soul, a kindred spirit. I love it. Call me stupid if you will. Plus, she's the only one I know that's like me and I'll be damned if I let a chance to not go through this alone slip through my fingers...again.

"Because, Hinata-chan, I'm sorry I never noticed you before, but I have now. You're so much like me, and I'm tired of going through life alone. I feel like you could be the answer to that, and I know you feel some type of way about it too. I can tell it when you blush, the fact that we're holding hands now and you're blushing even deeper. I can see you smile internally when I call you Hina-chan. I sense the kindness in you and I love it. I just want to get to know a soul like yours, if you wouldn't mind it." Closing my eyes now I give her the best, warmest smile I can, and I feel her hand tighten on mine in return.

And then it let go, shocking me, only for it to be placed on my shoulder, pulling me in for a tight car hug, her head being rested on my shoulder. I rest my chin on her head as I feel my shoulder dampen from her tears. "Naruto-kun, thank you, and I'll gladly go with you." I heard her mumble into my shoulder, making me smile even more as I pat her back, comforting her as the tears came to a close.

 _And nothing else matters...  
_

* * *

 _September 24th, 6:00 pm_

The rest of the week had been relatively quiet. We didn't see each other outside of the classroom since that day, but we were both busy. Me with the upcoming shit storm of a game versus Wave and Hinata convincing her father to let her stay with Sakura, and after meeting the bubble-gum haired cheerleader, he agreed. I know he has his suspicions, but everything should go off without a hitch if we play it right.

 _*buzz buzz* *da dun-dun-dun* "Good luck from me and Hinata, Naruto! We'll be watching you, especially Hinata xD"_

Ah, Sakura, always the nice one. Too nice for her own good sometimes. I know she was devastated about not being able to cheer on the sidelines, but doctors orders. I'm rather surprised she didn't think the worst when I told her about our plan with Hinata. I of course got teasing from the two teme's Shikamaru and Sasuke, but they all know I have pure intentions. Considering this is the first girl I've been like this with. Ino, Karin and Kin were just relationships of chance. We did couple things, kissed, had sex, but it was never full love, I _loved_ them, I just wasn't _in_ _love_ with them.

And now, here I am, warming up, one hour from kickoff. I feel like this is a kickoff for more than just a football game for me. I can feel the winds of change blowing around the corner. Either that or its Ino blowing around the corner. Burn.

"Dobe, you better have your head in the game! I don't want our first game of the season to end in a loss." Sasuke, don't worry, I got this. He knows he doesn't have to worry about me, but I'm glad he does.

"Yea, man, don't make me have to punt a lot." Shut up, Shika, at least all you do is kick a damn ball to the _other team_. The dudes a genius at angling it. The amount of punts we've downed inside the five yard line is insane thanks to him.

The time was 6:45, and we were all huddled in the tunnel ready to run out, and as usual they all look towards me for the motivational speech.

"Alright guys, this is it! The beginning of another season. For some of you, it's your last season as a Green Leaf, and you'll be moving on into the next chapters of your lives. Some of you will pursue betterment in your skills as a player of the sport, some of you will pursue betterment in the fields of your choice. But one thing will remain the same. You are and always will be a teammate to me, and you will always be a Green Leaf!" That got them riled up. I always hated being a motivational speaker, but I was apparently damn good at it. "Now, I know you guys won't let me down, and I will try my hardest to do the same! Now let's get out there and kick some Wave Academy ass!"

And so we ran out onto the field to the cheers of our peers and the boos of our opponents. I wonder what Hinata and Sakura are thinking right now...

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV** (I know, for the first time this story! Hopefully this makes up for it.)

* * *

Time really flew this summer, and so many things have changed. My breasts grew, Sasuke, Shikamaru and Naruto grew in general (I don't know about their, um, ya knows.) I know, I know, they're my best friends, I shouldn't be thinking about their pork swords, but admittedly I'm a pervert. Well, not that I'd admit it to them but...

Oh hey, they're running out! "CHA! LETS GO KONOHA!" I'm a bit of a big fan of our football team, namely supporting my friends. Sucks I couldn't be down there cheering them, but the doctor is an asshole. It was a simple sprain in my ankle that I'm sure Ino pig did on purpose, she dropped me pretty rough. I _cannot_ stand that bitch! Such a high and mighty prissy girl that's probably got every STD to ever strike man.

The band was playing our fight song, fans were cheering, the popcorn guy was making his rounds and Hinata was, well, just sitting and looking weird. I take it she's never been to a sports game like this. "Sakura-san, I'm sorry if I'm not energetic but I haven't been to something like this before." I can see why Naruto said her voice was pretty and angelic, yet it was so timid and fragile.

I remember the day he came to me and asked me about the plan with Hinata...

 _ **Flashback-Sakura POV  
**_

 _September 19th, 4:13 pm_

 _*knock knock knock*_ Well this is random. Its four in the afternoon, who the hell could be here? Naruto? Nah, no way. As I opened my door, I was surprised.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, I need a _huge_ favor please!" It's like kami sent me an early birthday present, Naruto begging for a favor and a chance to in turn get something out of him. What are the odds? I know he knew it too when I donned a big, sadistic grin on my face.

"Oh _really?_ " I loved my sweet yet sinister voice sometimes. Right now definitely yes as I saw the defeat in Naruto's face. "Come, come, let us talk business." And so it began. The talks of peace, mercy and favors.

Let's just say I'm happy with the info I came out with...hehe...hehehehe...he...

 _ **Flashback end-Sakura POV**_

Ah, where was I? Oh yeah, Hinata, whoops. "Eh it's ok Hinata, I used to be like you." I gave her a sweet smile and saw her face light up at that revelation. Truth be told, I was at one point a shy person, much like little Hinata. Not so much shy, just didn't like people. Then I met Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru. Man they broke me out of my shell like I was an egg hitting the concrete ground, except they managed to keep my yolk intact...wink...wink...ok I really am a pervert, sorry.

I was eight, though, we didn't know what sex was. And now we're 17, we know what drugs and alcohol are, we've all had sex...except for me. I know I can, just, I need it to be with the right person 'cuz I'm into, well, weirder things than normal. Never stopped me from masturbating though. Okay, I need to stop thinking about sex before I get turned on. Oh, Konoha won the coin toss.

"Sakura-san, are you ok?" I feel bad for forgetting about the shy girl next to me. But she's _so_ quiet it's hard not to. I did the only thing I could do and just smile at her.

"Yea, I'm ok Hinata. Just thinking about who's gonna win. Hopefully Konoha!" I honestly don't know how this girl is gonna survive the party with her sanity intact. What Naruto is thinking I have no idea, I just hope it works. "Say Hinata, do you have anything to wear for the party tomorrow? I planned on doing some shopping if you want to go with me." I know the egg-on-concrete method worked for me, I'm just hoping to minimalize damage for her.

After mulling it over for a second, she gave her response. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look, what time?" Perfect, step one is getting her to feel good about her self fashionably, and spending time with me out and about might warm her up to talking, even if it's just me.

"I'll get you around 2, ok? No need to take both cars, save's gas." It was true though, rising gas prices that fluctuate weekly, no reason to burn extra money. My mom was a pretty good lawyer and my dad was a board member on the city council so we were good on money, doesn't make up for them being useless parents that are hateful, moms a drunk, dad well that's a different story.

With a simple nod, it was confirmed, and the date was set. If it was an actual date I could say I was finally bisexual like everyone jokes with me about, but I don't like girls. At least I don't think I do. Meh, it was kickoff time.

 _"And with the opening kickoff, number twenty-four Sai returns the kick from the one yard line to the twenty-four for a twenty-three yard gain, and here comes the Green Leaf offense captained by number ten, quarterback Naruto Uzumaki and his receiving corp. in number seventeen Sasuke Uchiha, number twenty-one Inojin Yamanaka and number thirty Kiro Nidosake."_

Inojin, Ino's cousin, everyone forgets about him, a sophomore like us.

 _"The first play from scrimmage is a draw play to Rock Lee who gashes forward for seven yards, it's second and three on Konoha's thirty-one yard line."_

That Lee was something else, lemme tell you. Blood sweat and tears every game, and he wasn't even a heartthrob like every other fitness freak sports pro. After the game started, Hinata was locked into the field, seemingly analyzing every move. Best not disturb her.

 _"And look at this, Uzumaki connects with Uchiha for a twenty-two yard pass play! Green Leaf first down in Wave territory on the forty-seven yard line, go Leaves!"_

The way Hinata's face lit up when Naruto threw that pass made me think maybe, just maybe, Naruto was making a smart move for once.

 _"Ow! A crushing sack by Wave's linebacker Yani set's Konoha back five yards, second and fifteen on the Konoha forty-eight yard line after Yani blows through the middle gap."_

 _"What a rebound as Rock Lee takes the right-side pitch for thirty-six yards all the way to Wave's sixteen yard line when he's finally tracked down by Wave's corner Ichidana, Green Leaf first down in red zone territory!"_

The next play was a stuffed two yard run by Lee, who was looking for that facemask call, but Hinata looked relieved that Naruto was ok. She's a good girl for him. The baka needs someone to look after him, and I have no doubt that she can be the one to do it.

 _"Konoha touchdown! Uzumaki on the quarterback keeper runs it in for a fourteen yard touchdown run with a great block from both Kiro and Inojin! Here's Han Lo with the extra point attempt, held by Shikamaru Nara. The kick is up and...it's good! Seven-Nil Konoha on top of Wave!"_

Ok and now the girl had a full blown grin as she saw Naruto run it in. "It was a helluva run, eh Hinata?" I needed to break her from her trance eventually, and after realizing what she had been doing, immediately blushed and hid her face while nodding. Oh yea, I was gonna have some _fun._

As the game progressed, we both got more into it. Wave managed a field goal, and so did Konoha as the score was now 10-3. It was now the second quarter with two minutes left on the clock and the Wave drive stopped at midfield as they ready the punt.

 _"And here's the punt, Sai takes it at the ten yard line and runs it up to the thirty-two for a good gain of twenty two. Lets see if the Konoha offense can get something going in the last minutes of the half."_

Hinata, man, she was on the edge of her seat as the clock wound down, a pass for ten yards, hurry up pass for twenty-three, and one more for thirty got them to the ten yard line with thirty seconds left. First and goal with a timeout, as they break the huddle and get in formation.

 _"Rock Lee takes the ball down to the one yard line, fifteen seconds left, can Konoha get the spike off in time? And they do, the clock stops at six seconds."_

At about this time, I think everyone was on the edge of their seats as the next snap came.

 _"Touchdown! Tight end number eighty-two Jin Taka lays down a crushing block on Ichidana as Lee takes the ball in!"_

Phew. After the extra point, it was seventeen-three. Halftime was uneventful, as was the rest of the game. It came to twenty-four-fourteen, but after a few key plays by Konoha the game ended.

 _"What a game as your Konoha Green Leaves knocked off Wave Academy twenty-four to fourteen! See you guys next week as Konoha takes on the Raiders of Suna high!"_

Everyone was filing out of the stadium as me and Hinata went out to our cars, knowing that the boys aren't gonna be out for a while. "What'd you think of your first football game, Hinata?" I knew she was mostly thinking about Naruto, but she'd never admit it.

Thinking for a second, her answer didn't shock me. "I thought it was great, I'll definitely be here next week, Sakura-san. But I must go, please tell Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san I thought they did well, as well as everyone." She bowed before getting in her car and heading home. I need to get her number from Naruto.

* * *

 _September 24th, 11:40 pm._

It had been late before I got home, going in through the back door of my house to avoid my parents and kicking in my bedroom door, throwing off my sandals and plopping down on my bed. Swearing softly because I forgot to lock my door, I get up only for it to be opened by my mom. Here we go again. "What do you want, ma?"

She was drunk again, _great_. "Aye! wha do ya tink yew're doin' out sho late, Sakura?" How she even managed to slur that our, even I don't know.

I sat back down on my bed before replying. "Tonight was the game, mom, remember?" She forgot again, but I was preparing for her drunken, hateful responses. Crude.

"Ah, yea, I rememble! Ne, did *hic* did we win?" No crude insult? At least not yet.

"Yes, we beat wave twenty-four to fourteen." Please go away, I just wanna relax...

"Good, vewwy good. Suck anyone's dick under the bweachers?" She laughed, she thought she was funny, but she was just annoying the shit outta me.

"Mom, go away. I'm tired of your insults!" I shouldn't have yelled. Before I knew it, my face was stinging red from a slap that came from her.

"Remebwer, you whore, I bwought you into dis world, I'll end you!" Thank god she left, slamming the door on the way out. I wasted no time in locking the door and stuffing a towel under it before reaching into my nightstand drawer, grabbing a pipe and a bag with a green some marijuana in it. Breaking it up and stuffing it in the pipe I grabbed a lighter and sparked it up, inhaling the smoke and exhaling it.

About thirty minutes passed and I was laying in my bed, listening to some music and just thinking about today. I miss hanging out with the boys a lot, we don't hang out as much as we used to because this semester has been hell with classes and homework. I'm glad we have the time to hang out at the party tomorrow, I need to watch how much I drink though, I get a bit, er, flirty when I'm drunk.

Kami, I need some sex in my life, this whole solo thing isn't too bad, just it's not the same as the real thing, I'm sure...

 **O.O.O.O warning, lemon ahead, again O.O.O.O**

My eyes wander to the top drawer of my dresser, and it wasn't long before I stood up and started taking my clothes off. I took my shirt off, revealing a light pink bra, and my pants were next revealing a matching pair of panties. I slowly removed my bra and looked at myself in the mirror, running a hand over my decently big but supple breasts. They were only C cups, but they were enough for me. I pinched a nipple softly, moaning just a bit.

Walking over to my radio I turned it up, so hopefully my parents didn't hear me in here, and let the tunes cost me along as I slid my panties down my legs and tossed them into my laundry basket. Turning to the side, I took a look at my butt, which was small, but toned. Those squats were paying off. Finally, I reached into my dresser drawer and pulled out a small, six inch black realistic dildo and a bottle of lube, and laid down in my bed, spreading my legs.

 _It's Monday morning, and I'd kill for a chance to drive. Get so far away from here with you, my dear._

I put a bit of the lube onto my already wet pussy. I didn't need it, but it was a warming lube, and _kami_ did it feel good. I ran a hand down my body, and rubbed the lube onto it, groaning softly. It's funny that I'm teasing myself. I grabbed the dildo, sticking the tip in softly, before slowly inserting its entirety into me, letting out a long moan. Bucking it in and out slowly, I whimper and bite my lip, using my other hand to squeeze my clit, causing pleasure to rush through my body.

I grab the lube again, squirting some onto my breasts, rubbing it onto my skin slowly as I continue the work with my dildo. Massaging my tits and squeezing my nipples, I'm barely containing my moans from the dual pleasure. I couldn't help but let them start escaping, moaning as my breathing hitches, an orgasm coming close. Time to do my favorite thing. Putting some lube on the dildo I let it find my rear entrance, sliding it into my ass with a whimper as I find a good rhythm. Rubbing my clit at the same time I hold in my orgasm for as long as I can before it finally comes, rocking my body as my moans come out, my breathing erratic.

After the orgasm ends, I walk myself to the bathroom in my room with trembling hands and shaking legs. I start the tub and put some bubbles in it, running back and grabbing my dildo and putting the lube up. I sink my body into the tub, letting the water rush over my tired, exhausted body. Rinsing the lube off the fake penis, I lick it, before I start sucking on it, going in all the way and out as I finger my shaking pussy, bringing a wave of pleasure through me.

I came again, twice during that bath time. I cleaned the dildo off again before getting out and drying off, dressing in a pair of blue and black panties, a pair of black sweatpants, and a plain black tee with no bra, letting my breasts hang free tonight.

 **O.O.O.O lemon over, again O.O.O.O**

I need a boyfriend, or at least a fuck buddy. Tomorrow can't come any quicker...

* * *

 _September 25th, 1:55 pm._

I pulled up to Hinata's house and texted her. It was only a few minutes before she walked out and got into the passenger seat of my little sedan car. "Hey, Hinata! Ready for some shopping?" I asked a bit jubiously, my mood was a lot better after last nights events.

She sits down, buckling up as I drive off to our first destination, a store called Chino's. It's a bit fancy, but not overpriced. "Mhm, it's been a while since I've gotten new clothes." I didn't doubt that, she never really dressed extravagantly even though her dad had all that money.

We made simple small talk along the way. I'm glad to see her open up more. I pulled into a parking spot at the shopping strip as me and Hinata walk into the store and start shopping, finding items and heading towards the dressing rooms. "C'mon, lets use this one." I took her hand and led her into a room.

I forgot that she hadn't changed in front of anyone before. "Uh, t-the same dressing room? A-are you s-sure?" God what a blush, I couldn't help but laugh a little bit as I put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't mind, if you don't. I'm comfortable with my body." Hesitantly she agrees, kinda surprising me. "I'll go first." I slide my flats off and start undressing, leaving me in just my underwear. Her blush was so red it rivaled that of a tomato.

Slowly she started getting undressed too, and her body, man, it wowed me. Her breasts were about a D, well toned butt, I mean she was by all means drop dead gorgeous. "Um, Sakura?" Damn, I must've been staring.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." I smiled and rubbed the back of my neck. "You're just really pretty!" After letting her blush go down, we started trying on our pants, finally settling on which ones we wanted, and which ones we didn't. Next were the shirts. It was admittedly hard to find shirts that Hinata was comfortable wearing. Ones that contained her chest and didn't show off too much. I finally convinced her to wear this baseball sleeved shirt that was dark blue and v'd down and showed a decent amount of cleavage.

We both had a dress we wanted to try on and she slid into hers rather easily, it was a light lavender strapless dress, with fake diamonds under her bust, and it flowed down to her ankles. It was a stunning sight, her pale skin with the lavender cloth, the small, teasing amount of cleavage she was showing. Shaking my head, I start sliding on my dark pink empire style dress, but I couldn't get the zipper up. "Ne, Hinata, can you give me a hand?" I didn't realize her dress was off by the time she walked up to me.

My breath hitched as she grabbed my zipper, her bare hand barely touching my skin as I found my face instantly heat up. I wasn't a lesbian, was I? Maybe bisexual. Still, I know Hinata is pretty, but I've never gotten like _this_ over a girl, and I've seen plenty of girls naked in the locker room. I finally breathed again as she stepped back and admired the dress. It was actually really cute, and we both decided to keep ours for another day. The Halloween ball season was coming up anyways.

We cashed out and saw the time. 4:45. Damn, we spent longer there than I thought. The party started at seven. "Hehe, I guess we shopped for too long, wanna go get a bite at a restaurant before the party?" I knew we had time to kill, and was relieved when she nodded her head. I needed a blunt. I had one rolled up, maybe Hinata wouldn't mind if I lit it..."Hey, uh, you don't mind if I smoke weed, do you?" Shouldn't have asked, but too late.

This girl was full of surprises, though. "Not if you don't mind me smoking a cigarette. Weed is ok, just never was big on it." Damn, well ok then. I grabbed the cigar wrapper from the glove box in my car and opened it, dumping the re-rolled cigar into my hand as she stuck a cigarette in her mouth and lit it. I waited till we drove into the not so good part of town before I lit it, giving her a tour of the slums.

"Thankfully I know the police seldom patrol this area, so we're good, any kind of music you wanna listen to?" She grabbed my aux cord from the cup holder and plugged it into her phone, hitting shuffle. The song that played first was awkwardly fitting for this situation. Me the stoner and her the cigarette smoker.

 _Hey, dad, look at me. Think back and talk to me, did I grow up, according to plan?_

Just a couple of misfits driving around and enjoying the music. Out of habit I reach the blunt to her as to pass it, and she took it, taking a drag off of it. She held it in before exhaling, taking another hit and passing it back. I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

 _And do you think I'm wasting my time, doing things I wanna do. But it hurts when you disapprove all along._

"Sakura-san, can I ask you a personal question?" While I was glad that she wanted to talk to me, I couldn't help but wonder what this was about. I nodded to her, as she opened her mouth to speak. "Do you ever, er, like...touch yourself?" I started coughing. She perfectly timed that question with my blunt hit.

After I stopped coughing, I had to put her worried face to ease. "Well, yes. It's normal to want to do those kind of things, Hinata." Boy did she look relieved. "Why do you ask?" There goes that blush again.

"W-well, I kinda did it last night. It felt good, it was my first time though. I wanna get more into it, I just don't know where to go. I can't go alone though, I'm a coward." She laughed a bit until she saw the look on my face, and then she got worried again.

"Wanna just get some fast food? I'll take you to my shop and then we can eat." I saw her gulp but slowly nod. I can understand her being nervous, but I can't pass up on this chance to help a sister out. It was just around the corner a minute. I parked at the dim lit sex shop. Josie's was a good place, and the woman was always nice to me and never judged me.

"Hey Sakura! Brought a friend with you this time?" She was a pretty lady for being in her early thirties.

"Yea, we're just gonna look around for a minute." After she reminded me to get her if we needed help, I turned and looked at Hinata. "Just follow my lead and trust me. We're gonna get some lingerie for tonight. No I'm not saying you're gonna sleep with someone, but it helps make you feel sexy and more confident." Hinata shyly nodded, as we perused through the shelves of undergarments. We grabbed a few pairs each and headed for the dressing room, there was only one so that meant we were sharing again.

She was hesitant again, but blushed and head in again, and we got undressed. "C-can you face that way while I try this on, p-please." Understandable. I turned around as I heard her bra and panties hit the floor. "S-sakura-san, c-can you tell me what you t-think?" I turned to face her and blushed when I saw her wearing a lacy black and purple G-string, two matching lacy thigh bands with a string on either side of her thigh that connected to the waistband, and a lacy black and purple bra that held her breasts up perfectly.

"U-um, you look great!" I stuttered out as she blushed, there was no need to try on the others as they were just different colors. She did the unthinkable next and took her bra and panties off right in front of me. I don't think she realized it as she quickly covered up, before letting her arms down, sighing with a determined look on her face.

"S-sorry, I need to do this, so I can be more confident." It was a solid reason, just unexpected. If you were to walk in right now we'd look like we were about to hop each other's bones with our blushes. "You know I've never been kissed before, how do I handle that?" She said as I took my undergarments off. I thought about it for a second, then a thought crossed my mind...

Then it happened.

 **O.O.O.O**

I stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, before leaning in and placing a kiss on her lips softly, pulling her into it as we deepened it, resting a hand on the curve of her ass as she let out a 'eep' and broke the kiss, stepping back and blushing hard. "I'm s-sorry, I shouldn't have done that, but-"

She cut me off by kissing me again. My eye's were wide with shock, but I closed them and let the feeling wash over me. We were holding each other, our bodies pushed together, hands feeling each other as we added tongue into the mix. I know Josie heard us, but I'm sure she didn't care, she'd just tease me later. My hand absentmindedly ran between her thighs and along her soaking wet pussy, I knew she liked it but we broke from each other again. "W-we c-can do this a-another time, n-not here though."

 **O.O.O.O**

True, I'd rather not have sex in a sex shop changing room. We quickly got dressed and put the lingerie that we didn't want up, and start looking at the toys. It took only a minute before I grabbed her a dildo just like mine only an inch shorter and it was skin colored. Grabbing her the same lube I use we paid while Josie eyed me with a grin on her face. We paid and went to the car.

"I'm sorry, again, it shouldn't have gone that far." I apologized again before Hinata put a hand on my thigh and smiled.

"It's ok, it wasn't bad. I've always had thoughts of more than just guys. Just wasn't expecting this just yet." The rest of the drive was quiet as we got our food and went back to my place to change into our party clothes. We changed in front of each other again, and she felt a lot more comfortable this time, she was gently smiling at me.

I was wearing a pair of tight, light washed jeans, a pair of black flats, a black V-neck tee with a band logo on it, my hair was in a simple pony tail and I had on my black and pink trim lingerie underneath.

Hinata was wearing a pair of jean booty shorts, a long sleeved purple shirt, a pair of all black skate shoes with black and purple striped knee-high socks and her black and purple trim lingerie underneath it all. We were dressed to kill, and that was the idea.

As we pulled up to the party, it was 6:55. Right on time as the people rolled in. Me and Hinata looked at each other, and after seeing the still-present nervousness in her eyes I put a hand on her shoulder and smiled before getting out of the car, with her trailing me. We reached the door and heard the music bumping, before swinging it open and walking in and being greeted by the party host and spotting Sasuke, Shikamaru and Naruto, the latter walking up to us with a grin on his face.

"Sakura-chan! Hinata-chan! Ready to party?"

And so it began.

* * *

 **A/N:** To be honest, this chapter was longer than I thought it was gonna be, but I needed it to be for character development. Was there too much yuri? Probably, but it was also needed to develop the fact that Sakura is indeed bisexual, and Hinata is open to it. from now on when you see **O.O.O.O** , that's the beginning of a pretty mature or intense scene that you may want to skip over if you're not comfortable reading it. Other than that, I hope you enjoyed it, and I'd appreciate any follows, favorites and reviews! Till next time, deuces!


	3. With Arms Wide Open

**A/N:** Again, I don't own Naruto or any lyrics, they belong to Creed. Go ahead and guess which song, you might like it.

 **A/N #2:** So this is mainly a party chapter with a bit of character development. Well, some more than others. And one a LOT more than others. Read ahead to find out. I want to thank **WindyCitySlayer1** for the reviews, and remind you if you're just gonna bash the story cuz you dislike one character, or just be a hateful person, please stay off the reviews. I can do constructive criticism, and enjoy it, just don't like people who are plain hateful and ignorant. Well, read and enjoy!

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _September 25th, 7:15 pm._

So this is a party? All the lights, the loud music, people dancing and laughing and smiling and drinking? I was a bit startled at first, it took me a minute to control my breathing and reel in my feelings. Remember, confidence is key, Hinata.

Confidence. Funny how a week ago I barely knew that word, how times change quickly. All I need to do is make it through tonight, and if I don't like it, I can slowly slip back into my quiet, drug filled shell. Barely fifteen minutes in and there was already a couple making out in the corner. Could that be me later? Time may tell.

I've never drank alcohol before, so I didn't exactly know what to grab, and what I could grab. I looked around for a minute while the four friends caught up and laughed, and I felt like a major fifth wheel before Naruto turned and looked at me.

"Hinata, I'm glad to see you here!" He had to semi-yell over the music but he put an arm around my shoulder in a half hug and turned me towards Shikamaru and Sasuke. "Teme, lazy-ass, this is Hinata. Hinata, this is Sasuke, or teme if you prefer, and Shikamaru, or lazy-ass. Take your choice." I couldn't help but giggle at how he and his friends playfully insulted each other.

"Forgive the baka here, but yes I'm Sasuke, and if I'm right this is your first party, huh?" I couldn't do anything but nod. "Hmm, well no worries, we'll help you out here. If you have any problems, see me or these two, okay?" Nodding again, he grabbed a bottle of what I presumed was beer from the table, and another bottle filled with a pink, fruity looking liquid in it, and he handed the pink one to me. "It's a weak drink, don't want you getting too drunk too quick."

I followed his lead of opening the bottle by putting my shirt over the cap and twisting it. I took a whiff of it and it really was fruity, strawberry-mango if what the label on the bottle said was right. Hesitantly I took a small sip from it, and...it wasn't bad at all. Kind of like a soda. "There's alcohol in here? I couldn't tell at all." I didn't know it was a funny statement, but everyone laughed, as the boys grabbed their beers and Sakura grabbed a blue raspberry version of my drink.

Sakura leaned into my ear, whispering into it. "These things may taste good, but if you drink them too fast and too much, they will get you drunk fast. So just take it easy at first." I nodded to the pink haired girl, as she took my hand and led me outside with Naruto and them, where they walked up to a clipboard and looked at it.

"What's that?" I asked, confused at first until Sakura had explained it to me. Beer pong? From what I caught, you have a team of two versus a team of two, and try to throw a ping pong ball across the table into a cup filled a quarter or so of the way up with beer, and the other team has to drink it, and there are ten cups in a pyramid shape. The first team to drink all of their cups loses. Not hard, right?

"Ne, Sakura, I need a partner, you down?" Naruto looked at the girl next to me, who shook her head. She said she wasn't feeling it tonight. What a blatant lie. "Ah damn, who else could I get?" He looked around the room, trying to find any of his friends, until his eye landed on me and he grinned. Oh, shit. "Hinata! You can be my teammate! C'mon, I'll teach you, it's easy!"

He put a hand on my shoulder, making me blush. I could feel Sakura getting ready to jump to my defense, but its like my mouth moved of its own accord. "I-I'll do it, it can't be that hard, can it?" Well, could it?

"Awesome! Hey Hiryo, here you are, we're all signed up!" Naruto handed the clipboard to the thick dude, who simply nodded, and we watched him write our names on a whiteboard. It was a tournament? We played in the first round against two boys from Suna called Kankuro and Gaara, and apparently they're pretty good. What did I just get myself into?

It was 7:30 now and the tournament started at eight. I looked around and the back porch was massive. There was ten tables set up, numbered one through ten, and there was five more in the garage labeled eleven through fifteen. We had table six. I downed the rest of my drink before looking at Sasuke. "What type of beer is used on the tables?" Might as well get used to the taste.

He had grabbed me one from one of the many outdoor coolers. "Here, it's a bit bitter, but its not all that bad when you get used to it." Man, he wasn't wrong. The first sip was terrible, the second was ok, the third was better, and by the fifth I grew to understand why they called it bread in a bottle/can. I needed a cigarette. I was relieved when Naruto lit one up, I wasn't alone. Then again, there was dozens of people out here smoking.

I turned my back to them and put a cigarette between my lips, only to find my lighter not working. Cursing slightly, I froze when a hand reached around me, a lighter lit in it. I put my cigarette up to it and lit it, turning around to see Naruto smiling. "If you needed a lighter, all you gotta do is ask." That was it? No questions about why I smoked? No jokes?

"Ne Hinata, you don't have to do that to fit in, ya know?"

Ah, there was Shikamaru. I turned to look at him and barely smiled. "I know, Shikamaru-kun, I like it though." He seemed content with my answer. Sasuke and Shikamaru had disappeared to presumably get ready for their match against their opponents and Sakura went to make a 'mixed drink' which apparently was straight liquor and soda mixed together. That left just me and Naruto.

"Well, since its just me and you, I'll explain the basics and advanced rules." Okay, so don't put my hand over the table when shooting, overhand shooting only, no underhand shots, after we get a few cups eliminated they can 're-rack' ours into a better shape and vice-versa, if you bounce the shot off the table and into a cup it counts as two cups for them but you have to catch them off guard because they can slap the ball away of shots like that and again vice-versa. Interference calls for a reshoot. And there's no 'rollback' rule, apparently its 'for pussies.' Whatever.

I finished my beer and it was 7:55 now, as me and Naruto walked over to the table, Sakura joining us a minute later as the two guys we were hoping to beat walked up and greeted us. "Naruto, Sakura, nice to see you again. Ready to lose?" I assumed that was Gaara, if Naruto's response was anything to go by.

"Ha, you wish Gaara. And it's not me and Sakura. Meet Hinata, she's my new teammate." I bowed slightly in greeting them. Gaara bowed back, as did Kankuro.

"Matters not, Gaara and I are winning it all this year and you're going home early, just like last time!" Was trash talking like this normal?

"Heh, we'll see." Was the only thing Naruto got out before a man came over the speaker, stopping the music.

 _'Anyone participating in the beer pong tournament please report to your table, and remember: keep it fair, call your own fouls, and anyone fighting over it will be ejected. Let it begin!'_

The table was set, music was back on, and we flipped a coin to see who shot first. And we won. I stepped back to watch and see how Naruto did it first. He scooped a ball from a cup in the middle of the table and set to the side, and handed it to me before he grabbed one, preparing to shoot. I watched him crane his arm, pumping a few times before shooting. It looked like it was spot on, but it hit the lip of the first cup and bounced off, and it was snatched up by Kankuro, who put it in their water cup.

Okay so maybe it was harder than I thought. I took my spot in the middle of the table, copying Naruto in my stance. After a few pumps, I released the ball, and time froze. It seemed like it flew in slow motion, the white ball spinning in the air before it reached its target, the front cup, and sunk right in the middle, shocking Sakura and making Naruto grin.

"Front cup, bitches! Drink two." Okay so apparently if you it in the front cup, it counts as two. Good to know. "Up top, Hina!" I turned to Naruto who had his hand up, and I gave him a firm high five as the two Suna boys downed their cups and stacked them, getting ready to shoot now.

Gaara shot, making it in the back left cup, and Kankuro made his shot too, in a cup in the middle to the left. I took it that I had to drink one as Naruto handed me a cup with a ball in it. I followed the Suna guys lead and fished the ball out and put it in water, before downing the cup. Ugh. Our turn again.

I decided to go first, sinking my ball into a back row cup, and Naruto sunk his in one next to mine, much to the chagrin of our opponents who drank up, and we shared another high five. I felt better now.

The game came down to the wire, as I lit a cigarette and grabbed a ping pong ball. We had two cups to their two, and I got ready to shoot. It was then I saw my opportunity, Kankuro turned around to get something from his bag and Gaara wasn't paying attention, texting someone. I bounced the ball, and by the time they turned around, it found itself sunk in a cup, making Naruto bust out in laughter.

"Shit! I forgot about the bounce rule!"

"Damn it, Kankuro, we should've paid attention."

They had a redemption shot, but failed, and we won. We _won_! "Ha! Good job Hinata-chan!" Naruto had picked me up in a hug, swirling me around in a circle. Bad idea, I almost threw up, I was feeling a bit lightheaded but laughed nonetheless as Kankuro and Gaara finished their cups before crossing the line and giving me and Naruto a handshake.

"Good game, we'll be sure to stick around and watch you two play, good choice in a partner, how come we haven't seen her around yet?" That's right, they didn't know this was my first time.

"Well, hate to tell you, but this is the first time she's played a game, let alone its her first time drinking." Oh lord the look on their faces was absolutely priceless.

"What!? We lost to a rookie!?"

"Kankuro, this just goes to show, don't underestimate your opponent. Good game, you two, especially you Hinata. We'll be watching."

And with a bow, they walked away as we went to look at the board, updated now. Out of thirty four teams, sixteen remained after a team no-showed. If we won our next match, we'd go to the quarterfinals, then the semifinals, then the finals. Seemed like a long shot, but Naruto was positive. "Ne the next team we have is a pushover, we got this!"

It was 8:30 now, our game was at nine so I headed to the bathroom, with Sakura in tow as Naruto went to catch up with Sasuke and Shikamaru. "Hinata, that was awesome!" The pink haired girl exclaimed, hugging me. "How do you feel now? Drunk?"

To be honest, I didn't know. "I mean I feel lightheaded, and a bit unbalanced but that it. Most of all, I'm...happy, confident too." It was called liquid courage, and maybe it was what I needed tonight.

"Ah, you're tipsy then, not bad for your first time." I went into the restroom and Sakura followed me as I sat down on the toilet to do my business. While sitting there, I noticed ashes on the tub, and figured they didn't mind if we smoked in here, and lit up.

After finishing up, I stood to let Sakura go. "I think I need a mixed drink, ne?" I thought I was ready, at least I hoped so. "Are you drunk?" I asked the pink haired girl next to me, hoping I wasn't the only one in our group getting there.

She laughed as she stood up and smiled, hugging me randomly. "Ne, just-just a bit, b-but not too much." Yea I figured she was a bit drunker than me, but I looked her in the eye, put a hand on her chin and softly kissed her lips.

"Did that help you sober up a bit?"

She blushed, before replying to my kiss. "Y-yea, thanks Hinata." We headed out of the restroom and into the party crowd. I know people were staring at us, and normally I'd feel creeped out, but tonight I felt good. The music was 'popping', the women were dancing and shaking their asses on the men. Yet no one had the courage to approach me or Sakura. After mixing up a drink we started heading back to the porch to meet up with the boys.

And then the inevitable happened. Some guy slid right in front of us trying his best to look cool, but ended up just looking like a douchebag. "Hey ladies, names Aro, but you can just call me daddy." I don't know what it was, maybe the alcohol, but I just busted out laughing, and Sakura joined me a second after as we tried to push past him, but he wouldn't let us. "Come on, don't be a bitch."

All it took was a kick to the balls from Sakura, and we were back on track, reaching my table with ten minutes to spare. "Good kick, Sakura, I know not to mess with you now." I giggled as she laughed along with me, handing me a lighter for my cigarette.

I wonder where Naruto is at.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _September 25th, 8:35 pm._

"Man I'm telling you, she killed Kankuro and Gaara!" Sasuke and Shikamaru didn't seem to believe me. Sucks they got knocked out of the tournament but they did play the defending champs, so I can forgive them. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna fuck with them.

Shikamaru waved a hand at me, dismissing my claims. "There's no way a rookie like her killed a good team like the Suna crew." I can understand his skepticism, but I had no reason to lie.

"Ne, why don't we watch the next game then? I would like to see this for my own." Good idea, Sasuke, don't believe me just see it for yourself.

With a sigh, Shikamaru nodded and agreed with Sasuke. Then a new voice sounded out from behind us. "I too would like to see the girl that beat my idiot brothers at their own game." We turned around and were greeted by Temari, Gaara and Kankuro's sister.

Shikamaru walked up to the blonde girl and kissed her. "Hey guys, this is Temari, the girl I told you I was seeing from Suna. Be nice." Like we needed to be told that, we're not assholes...most of the time...

"Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto, Hinata-chan's partner." I introduced myself, bowing slightly to her, which was reciprocated.

"I'm Sasuke, Shikamaru's teammate, and somehow he's not too lazy to be my friend." We had to have at least one good laugh at his expense. "Don't you usually play in the tournament?" She usually did, but maybe she wasn't feeling it like Sakura.

"Yea, I just didn't feel like getting my balls wet today. You guys ready for the rapid fire round? The quarterfinals are gonna be hard on the poor girl."

Shit, yea I forgot about the rapid fire rounds, once we hit the quarterfinals games are back to back with a ten minute rest to puke or piss, whichever you gotta do at the time. "I think she can handle it, maybe, time will tell us. I wonder where they are though."

A finger shot past my shoulder and pointed to the door, where a guy stood obviously making the two girls laugh. Then their faces got twisted in annoyance...and then Sakura kicked the dude in the balls. Maybe I didn't need to be there all the time to protect them..."Hehe, found them..." I saw them head over to the table we were playing on next.

Shikamaru, Temari and Sasuke started to walk towards them. "C'mon, dobe, you have ten minutes till the next match." Fuck you, Sasuke. But we still friends.

We walked up to the two girls and exchanged heys and hi's again as Temari looked over Hinata, before introducing herself. "So you're the girl that knocked out my brothers from the tournament, eh? Nice to meet you, I'm Temari, their sister."

I could've confused Hinata's look for a bit of fear, before she answered the blonde Suna student. "Ne, s-sorry about that..." And there was a lingering pause in the conversation before she finished her statement. "...but maybe they shouldn't suck so much dick next time and pay attention to the game."

Holy shit. She...she just shit talked someone, right in front of their sister, who just stared in awe before she started giggling, then laughing, and then she was dying of laughter as we all joined in. "Hinata, that was fucking amazing." Sasuke choked out in between laughs. It really was one of the best burns I had heard in a long time.

"A-alright, here comes the next team we're facing, let's get our game faces on." I didn't know much about our next opponents, except they're sophomores and new to the tournament, shouldn't be too hard.

The table was set and the other team got the chance to shoot first. They somehow manage to get a cup, but completely missed the other shot. I wanted to make quick work of these guys so we could have a longer break before the rapid fire rounds. Apparently we both had the same idea because we shot at the same time, sinking two shots at once and gazing at the shocked look on the team across from us' faces.

To say that we trounced on them was an understatement. They barely managed to make two more cups before me and Hinata just ended it. We ended up drinking more of our actual drinks than cups of beer. I was, however, starting to worry a bit about Hinata. She seemed a bit woozy, I know she's probably drunk now. "Good job, Hinata! You feeling ok?"

She smiled softly at me before replying. "Yea, I'm feeling ok, just a bit drunk." She fumbled a cigarette into her mouth and lit it before Sakura dragged her off to the side to check on her. Didn't want her getting too drunk too quick and then getting sick.

Once they returned, we had ten minutes till hell started, and she didn't even know it. "Alright Hinata, listen very carefully." I was relived to see her go from smiling and woozy to straight faced and serious. "We're in the quarters now and these games will almost back to back with barely any break in between matches. If at any point you feel like you can't continue, let me know and I will pull us out. You've done great so far, now are you ready to finish the fight?"

With a firm nod, we headed off to the next table, and our crowd followed. I could hear the guys and girls congratulating Hinata in the background, and it made me smile. This next match was another winnable match, and it went kind of like the other one. Except they made four cups. And Hinata stood strong, as we took a small break before hitting the semifinals.

This match was worrying me. We started strong, making four in a row, then missed four, then made two. However, we were down to one cup to their four. At this, a light seemed to turn on in Hinata's head as we made the next three shots. It all came down to one cup and one shot. And I took it. And it sunk. After a prayer and a long shot they missed their shot, and we were in the finals.

Dude, we're in the fucking _finals_.

Me and Hinata, a seasoned partier and a timid, shy girl that had never drank before tonight. And now we were one game away from scooping up that championship title. "Hinata, we can do this! The defending champs bowed out last game, so lets go!"

It was 9:45, with any luck we could finish by 10:30 and just party it up, either to forget the loss or celebrate the win.

 _'Clear all the tables except one! The final game is starting in five minutes!'_

The stage was set, and the crowds were pouring out. Easily a hundred plus people watching and waiting. Who will walk away victorious?

We had an official referee watching us, and the coin flip landed in our favor. I looked at Hinata, who just smiled at me, and I took the first shot, and sunk it. Hinata stepped up, focusing her alcohol-impaired mind, and took her shot, which sailed and landed in a cup. So far so good.

It was back and forth, but in the end we took the lead three to one. It was down to Hinata, because I missed my shot. The crowd was silent and I stood back, examining her face, which was contorted in thought. There was no redemption in the championship game, so if she sunk this shot, it was all over. After a minute of thinking she shot. And it went way too high. Fuck. I turned around, no way this was going in.

Then everyone started cheering loud. I turned back around and saw the challengers downing the last cup with a defeated look on their face. "The hell happened?" I was genuinely confused. She couldn't have hit anything on the roof because that would've been interference.

Hinata ran up and gave me a hug, before pulling back and laughing. "I examined the downward air draft in this room and adjusted my shot accordingly. Pays to pay attention in class Naruto-kun." Huh, maybe I should've paid attention in physics...But we won, we fucking won!

"No way! We fucking won! You're so great Hina-chan!" I picked her up and hugged her, laughing all the while. I put her down and we locked eyes. We stared at each other for a good fifteen seconds, before she broke with by laughing.

"Time to party, ne Naruto-kun?"

And here...we...go!

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _September 25th, 11:15 pm_

It was almost an hour after we won and the party had officially begun. Fuck I sound like Dr. Seuss right now, but who cares, I'm drunk. They finally got a good soundtrack besides this dance shit going on and me and Sakura are killing it right now. I've downed three of those fruity spritzers and a beer because why not. "Sakura! Let's go do a shot!" Why she agreed, I don't even know.

We headed over to the liquor table and grabbed these plastic disposable shot glasses and poured a big shot each of some whiskey made specially here in Konoha, or summin like that. "Down the hatch." Sakura said as we gulped down the liquor, and I felt it hit me instantly. I almost threw up, but I managed to hold it in.

I felt _good_. Like I was swimming in a sea of confidence and happiness. There was guys trying to dance with us but we denied them politely. Somewhere along the line we lost track of where Naruto and the others were, but we didn't care. We were partying.

An hour and four or so drinks passed, and I was definitely drunk. I could barely walk a straight line, I was sweaty and clammy, my speech was slurred, my thoughts were jumbled, but most importantly, I was _happy._

I had never been this happy in my life before. Finally it felt like I was fitting in. No longer was I the simple shy girl in class that no one knew or liked. Me and Sakura headed out to the back to catch some fresh air, I had came in with a pack of cigarettes and had already blown through them, thankfully this guy sold me a pack for a few bucks cuz he had enough and was leaving anyways. I think it's cuz he caught a little peek of my lingerie bra, but whatever works.

After I had lit my cigarette I leaned against the wall next to my pink haired compadre and threw an arm around her, hugging her into me. "S-Sakura, tink you sho much for helping me out to-today." She blushed after I planted a kiss on the top of her head. "Say, why-why do you brush when I d-do that?"

She moved her mouth up to my cigarette and hit it, before responding. "'Cuz 'Nata, e-even if yew're a girl, I luv the affection. Dat and yew're really cue and sexy." Me? Sexy? I had never thought about it before.

I looked at her, and she turned her head and we went to lock lips. And then I got that feeling. I bolted off to the side yard, bending over and heaving. I forgot drinking is supposed to make you throw up if you do it too much. As soon as I started, a pair of hands grabbed my loose hair and held it back from my face, preventing it from getting in my line of fire.

I knew exactly who is was by the way she smelled. "Sakura, ugh, thanks." Awkwardly, after I threw up I felt like my drinking clock got turned back a couple of hours. "Is it normal to feel better after throwing up?" She nodded. "Oh, good, I can go for a bit more then. Sorry for ruining the kiss." I really did feel bad. Kinda wanted it too.

Well, I got a kiss on the cheek from her, before the smell of my vomit hit her and she followed suit. "Ugh, sorry, I couldn't help it. Its barely 11:45? Shit we got a ways to go girlfriend."

A ways to go? Don't people stop partying at two? Or is that just bars? "How much longer?" It was the million dollar question, any longer than two hours and I was sure to be in this same position a couple more times.

"Sometimes we don't stop till four, five maybe six." Four to six hours. _Four_ to _six_ hours! How in fucks sake was I gonna last that long? Unless...hmm, maybe later.

I know she saw the worry on my face. "That's not too bad, I'm sure I can handle it." I hope.

We went upstairs to wash out our mouths and she was telling me how things run at parties like this. "Usually the bedrooms that don't have the red bands on them are for anyone needing a room for, well, ya know?" I figured, they're fuck rooms. In theory it wasn't such a bad idea.

"That's a good idea. Hey you wanna go grab us a couple of drinks real quick? I'm just gonna go into one real quick cuz I need to fix my lingerie and don't wanna take up the bathroom for too long." That was the smoothest lie I had ever told anyone, _ever_. things were going as planned.

She agreed and walked off as I entered the room and quickly went to work, I took my shirt off, next was my shorts, and re-tying my hair into a cute little ponytail. Now I was just in my lingerie, laying on a bed off to the right of the door in a sexy little pose. I lit a cigarette and moved the ashtray on the night stand next to me. And then the door opened up.

 **O.O.O.O.O**

"'Nata? You in here? Oh my-" Her eyes had landed on me, laying on the bed, my legs spread just a bit, showing a bit of my privates off through the skimpy lingerie panties. Without breaking her gaze she locked the door behind her and set the drinks down on the table.

I smiled innocently at her and looked at the clock, which read 12:10. Plenty of time to do this and still party. "Ne, Saku-chan, don't ya wanna join me?" Lord I pulled the look off perfectly as she moved over to the other side of the bed and crawled in with me.

Saying nothing, we locked lips with each other, much like the time earlier, and she rolled over and mounted me, kissing deeply as we added our tongues into the mix. I was running a hand up and down her back, before moving it down into her panties, teasing her entrance with my finger tip, causing her to moan into the kisses.

She had decided to start kissing on my neck and sucking on it, leaving hickeys. I unclasped her bra and let her breasts free, catching one in my mouth and sucking on her nipple, making her groan into my neck at the pleasure.

We had played this game for a while until I decided to take control, flipping her onto her back and kissing her neck. I started kissing down her body till I had reached her waistline, taking her panties off with my teeth and taking a good look at her soaking wet pussy before leaving her kisses on her inner thighs, making her heat up even more.

I ran the tip of my tongue up her wet area, getting a taste for it and making her whimper. "Hi-Hinata, please..." Hearing her beg almost drove me crazy, as I decided to take my bra off, getting it out of the way.

"Please what, Sakura-chan?" I decided to play a bit of a game, rubbing her clit as soft as I could while still getting a point across, making her breathing pick up as she started squirming from my touch. Who knew I would be good at this?

She squirmed some more as words started to form in her mouth. "H-H-Hinata-chan! Eat my wet pussy!" That's all the begging I could take, before diving my tongue into which drew a loud moan of pleasure and relief from her mouth. I started moving my tongue in and out, using one hand to stimulate her clit and the other to squeeze and play with her bare chest, pinching nipples ever so gently with my nails.

I felt like I was in control, and it felt good. I started fingering her now, using my mouth to suck and nibble on her clit. Starting with one finger, I had found my way up to two, hitting what must have been her G-spot, because she started going crazy from all the attention her sex parts were getting. She had locked her legs around my head as I picked up the aggression in my actions.

I knew she had to have been getting close, her breathing was erratic, moans, groans and whimpers getting more often and loud. At first I had cared about people hearing us, but now I don't give a fuck. "H-Hina, I'm-I'm gonna-ah!" And just like that, she let out a loud, long moan as she came all over my face. She watched me get up onto my knees and lick her cum off my fingers, before smiling sweetly.

It didn't take long before I found myself in her same position, with my panties off in a heartbeat. "Oh, Hinata, it's my turn. Just stay still and let me take care of your pussy, baby." How I wasn't gushing by now was a surprise, but that statement was equivalent to someone turning on a water hose in my privates and letting it go wild and out of control.

My god the way she ravaged me was insane. I could tell the way I was moaning was making her go even more crazy. With each little whimper or moan she'd go deeper and faster, like I was a four-course meal and she hadn't ate in twenty-one days. I was surprised she could work her tongue that deep for someone who's a virgin. Then again so am I, and I would say that was a pretty good orgasm she had.

When she hit my G-spot, I just about lost my head. How the hell did she do that with her _tongue_? She must have known my thoughts, cuz she stopped, looked at me and smiled, then repeated the action over and over again, teasing my clit till I felt the orgasm that was sure to rock my body build. "Sakura, p-please, I'm...I'm cumming!" I couldn't hold it in anymore as I reciprocated her actions, releasing myself all over her face.

She crawled up next to me and kissed my cheek, even though her face was just buried in me, but I didn't care right now. "I guess I made you tap out, huh?" What else was I supposed to do but slowly nod my head? She really did make me tap out, and I accentuated it by literally tapping out. "Literally tap out." Her laugh was soothing right now.

My hand floated over to hers and held it as I pushed myself up against the headboard. "Did-did you like that, Sakura-chan?" She simply nodded and held my hand, lighting two cigarettes for us. After a few hits I realized something. "Cigarettes really are better after sex." First, and then. "Wow, we just had fucking sex."

I guess it took my heartbeat going down to realize that. "It was really good, 'Nata-chan. We should do this again sometime." She winked at me, before kissing me on the lips gently at first, deepening it after a second. Deciding that we probably shouldn't go for round two, we broke the kiss. 1:05, we had only been here for almost an hour.

 **O.O.O.O.O**

After cleaning up a bit and getting dressed again, we felt rejuvenated enough to drink for the rest of the night. "'Kura-chan, does this make me gay?" I had to ask, cuz I really didn't know what this made me. I liked boys, but also girls, and I've also never slept with a boy before. But I still liked boys. I think. All I could think of right now is the pink headed girl I just slept with.

Her answer relieved me to a certain extent. "At most I think that you're bisexual, like me. I still like boys, but I like girls too. It's the best of both worlds." That would have to do with me. I guess I wouldn't know until I slept with a boy too. Who knows when that'll be, to be honest.

On the way to the drink table, we ran into Temari and Shikamaru, and from the bat, I knew that Temari figured something was up. "Hey girls, having fun?" At least I could tell that Shikamaru was oblivious. We nodded in sync, which was the final thing she needed to know that something had happened with us. "Hey dear, can you grab us a few drinks, we're gonna head outside right now and get some air."

The second we got outside, Temari pulled us to the side quickly, shushing us with her finger. "Ok you two look like you just had good sex, so if you could explain, I would appreciate it." She saw that we weren't gonna budge, and sighed. "Ok, I'm not gonna judge, I just need to know you guys were safe and conscious."

We looked at each other and blushed, looking away quick. "Oh god...you guys didn't." We blushed and nodded. "Tonight?" Again, blush and nod. "And, with each other?" You already know the cycle..."And no one else right? Just you two?" In case you didn't know, blush and nod. "Wow..."

I had to say something. "Look, please don't tell anyone!" She put her hands on her hips and stared at me, making me feel uncomfortable. "C'mon, I know you don't really know us, but as a fellow woman, just please don't tell anyone." I saw her sigh, then giggle just a bit. "What's so funny?"

"I wasn't gonna tell anyone anyways, girls, I just wanted to mess with you two." She saw our mouths open, but motioned for us to hold on a second, as she checked around the corner. "Ok, we're clear. But I think it's pretty hot. If I was a virgin or not very experienced, I wouldn't have been able to tell." We both breathed a small sigh of relief. "I mean it's not my thing, but I'm glad you were safe."

"Thank you, Temari, we should probably get back before they think _we're_ having a threesome." Thank god for Sakura, she always knows how to make the situation less tense as we head back around the corner just before Shikamaru broke the door frame and found us, Sasuke and Naruto in tow.

I knew Naruto was drunk, cuz Sasuke was holding him up. "We just came to say goodbye, Naruto is pretty much out for the night and we need to go. I'm sorry we couldn't hang out more, Tem-chan, but I'll see you soon." Shikamaru and his blonde lover shared a kiss, before the boys (minus Naruto) said their goodbyes to us and bowed out for the night.

"Hmm, that was strange, they usually party all night. But I see no reason to stay now, Gaara and Kankuro left about half an hour ago too. You girls wanna join me for a bite before I head to Suna?" We nodded. "You good to drive, Sakura?" She nodded. "Well then, lets roll out!"

And with that, we headed out to our cars and to our food destination, The Drunken Diner, which is exactly what it sounds like. It's a good place for drunks to get food.

Thus, my first of what I would hope to be many parties ended.

* * *

 **TEMARI-POV  
**

* * *

We had pulled into the diner at about two in the morning and mosied our way into the diner, finding a seat rather easily. "Three coffees, please." At the least it'll keep them awake till they got home. After that, they could fuck again for all I care. "I don't know if the boys told you, but we're planning on going to the Halloween bash at Fire Club."

I'm assuming the idiots didn't, 'cuz they looked confused. "Ne, I might have heard them mention it once, but nothing official. I'm down though." Sakura had said. Hopefully so, I didn't wanna be the only female in the group. "Ma, I just started talking to you guys so I haven't heard anything, but I'll go for sure." And Hinata too, thank kami. I'm gonna need all the girl power I can get.

"Thank kami, I didn't wanna be the only girl in their little group. We can even dress up all cute and stuff, make the boys jealous. Well, all you two will have to do is make out a bit and that'll do the trick." I smiled at them, making them blush. Oh I was gonna have a lot of fun at their expense. Was I a bitch for it? Maybe.

"I-I think that would work, but it's not the best idea." I guess so, Hinata. It was true though, we didn't want a bunch of guys running to the restrooms to whack their willies. If we dress like I'm thinking, I have a very strong feeling that would be the precise reaction.

I pulled out my phone, flicking through it after our coffees got here. "I was thinking about going as a sexy steampunk girl, but I can see Hinata as a cute little kitten and you, Sakura, as a sexy Harley Quinn. Thoughts?" Stirring my coffee I prepared for the turn down, there's no way they'd actually agree to it.

Hinata was the first to speak, and she must be, like, fifty percent surprises. "That's not such a bad idea, I saw some cute little leopard print stuff at the shop we went to Sakura. Like a leopard print corset and the like." Shop? They must be talking about a sex shop. Tonight is making much more sense, all of a sudden.

I'm assuming Sakura agreed because of her smile. "That sounds good, we can get you some fishnet leggings, boots, some cute little cat ears, and some spandex short-shorts." They're actually going with this. What the hell? "I already thought about Harley Quinn and yea I agree, I know I can pull it off."

Okay, this just got weird, but I'm not complaining. "I wasn't exactly expecting you guys to agree, but eh, lets do it!" It was about that time when the waitress rounded the corner to take our orders. "I'll jut have two scrambled eggs and a waffle, please." Their waffles here were the best. The only thing I come to Konoha for besides Shika-kun and the parties.

After the girls had ordered, we talked for a few minutes while our food was cooked. "So Temari, why didn't you drink much tonight?" Fuckin' hell, they would ask that question. How do I get out of this?

If I took any longer, they might suspect something. Shit, might as well tell them the truth. "Well, um, I think I might be pregnant. I haven't mentioned anything to Shikamaru yet 'cuz I'm not one hundred percent sure just yet." I had hoped they'd be understanding, I knew they would be. They're not bitches like all the other women at Konoha High.

Hinata looked at me and her eyes were rather comforting. "Well, why haven't you taken a test yet? The sooner you know, the better." I mean, she wasn't wrong. It's just for the first time in forever, I'm scared.

Yea, scared of being pregnant, scared of what my parents would think, and my brothers, but most importantly I'm scared of what Shikamaru is gonna think. "I...I just...I'm scared, girls. I have the test and everything, just every time I go to do it I see the looks of disappointment on my families and Shika's face." Its true, what am I gonna do? I buried my face into my hands.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Sakura smiling at me. "I know Shika will love you no matter what, but he has a right to know no matter what. Why don't you go take it right now? Since you have a support group with you." It wasn't such a bad idea, to be honest. Nodding firmly, I grab my purse and head towards the restroom.

I couldn't believe I was about to take a pregnancy test in a diner restroom, but better now than never. Locking the restroom door, I prepared myself for this. Dropping my pants I started the process by removing the wrapper from the test and reading the instructions. Pretty simple, remove cap, pee on tester strip and wait. I did as it instructed, and while I waited I red the two possible out comes, plus sign for yes, minus sign for no. It slowly appeared, and my eyes widened a bit.

Walking out of the restroom I spotted our food waiting, and sat down. "Well guys, I'm...not pregnant." The way I said it made it seem like I wasn't happy about it, but I was...was I? We shared a bit of a celebration as we started eating, and soon we found ourselves full as we just talked over coffee.

We finished and said our goodbyes as the two girls got in their cars. I grabbed a box from under the passengers seat, and grabbed a cigar from it. My dad would always smoke these when he was stressed out, or unsure of his thoughts. Maybe it would work for me too. It was raining now as I drove home at just past three in the morning. Music usually helped, but now it was cursing me, playing this song.

 _Well I just heard, the news today. It seems my life, is gonna change._

I pulled over on the side of the highway and turned my headlights and inside lights off, lighting the cigar as the rain beat down on the car.

 _I close my eyes, begin to pray, then tears of joy, stream down my face._

I couldn't hold it in anymore as the tears started falling. How was I supposed to handle this?

 _With arms wide open, under the sunlight. Welcome to this place, I'll show you everything._

I was _pregnant._ I couldn't even tell two girls, let alone telling my family and the father. Oh, Shika...please stay...

 _With arms wide open, now everything has changed. I'll show you love, I'll show you everything._

I opened my eyes, with a new determination I had never had before. I need to be strong, even if its just for the baby. I know he'll love me, and welcome the baby.

 _With arms wide open...  
_

Home, here I come. Just I hope that my brothers don't get to Shikamaru before I can. The poor boy, all he did was get seduced by me. Well, its true, this was pretty much one hundred percent my fault. If I could've I probably would've forced him to fuck me that night. I wonder what Hinata and Sakura are up to...

* * *

 **WITH SAKURA AND HINATA.**

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

Well, that answers that question...

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, lemme know what you guys think. I thought the pregnancy twist was a very good twist, but that's just me though, I'm interested in y'alls thoughts. Was there too much Yuri again? Yea probably but I though it was a well written lemon. Could it have been with a guy? Yea but that's a bigger step than sleeping with a girl (for some reason.). In theory its the same, but baby steps, baby steps. Read and review please, and if you would follow and favorite! Ja ne!


	4. AOV

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto or the lyrics, those belong to Metallica, Rise Against, BFMV and Slipknot, respectively.

 **A/N:** Just as a forewarning, Shikamaru is a bit OOC in the end of this chapter. Bear with me, I swear its for the better. This chapter is also the end of the short, one-chapter Saku/Hina sage, so we can move forward. Enjoy!

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _September 26th, 12:20 pm._

Ugh. What happened last night? I tried to open my eyes, but the light burns them. My head hurts, I feel extremely groggy, and I _need_ somethin' to drink. As I laid in bed, some of last night came back to me. The tournament, eating with Temari, throwing up when I got to Sakura's...Sakura? I opened my eyes again and noticed I was laying in the pink haired girls bed, in just my bra and panties, and the final memory hit me: Me and her had sex...and it was my idea!

I couldn't hold it in anymore and jumped out of bed, rushing to the restroom and hurling into the toilet, as I heard Sakura start to stir. Did she remember? Most importantly, did she like it? I know she said she did, but man, we were both _loaded_ last night. "Hinata, you ok in there?" I heard the pink haired girl in question call out.

Fuck, she knew I was up. I was hoping for a bit more time to gather my thoughts and stuff from last night, but I guess imma have to make do. "Ne yea, I'm ok, just a little sick." Come on, 'Kura-chan, just a few more minutes to myself. Thankfully she granted me a few more minutes before I headed out to the room, only to be greeted by her naked, again, and changing.

She turned around, baring it all, and smiled. "Hey, sleepy head, feel better?" As much as I wanted to run back to the restroom, I forced it down and smiled back at her, nodding sternly. Did she really remember what happened last night? I know I did, especially seeing her bare body again, it made me riled up a bit. God, why now?

I stood by as she continued getting dressed, putting on a simple outfit of jeans, tee shirt and shoes. Nothing special, nothing risqué. "Uh, Sakura-chan, d-do you remember what w-we did last n-night?" I hated to be so straight forward, but it needed to be asked and answered, hopefully sooner than later.

Stopping putting her hair up, she turns to me and softly smiles. "Of course, silly, we got drunk and then went and ate with Temari." Oh, phew, she didn't remember the sex. Why am I relieved? "Oh, and Hinata." I gulped. Shit, maybe I was wrong. "That was some good sex, we should do it again sometime." The way she winked made my heart stop, and I almost fainted.

I tried my hardest to keep consciousness, and eventually prevailed. She did remember and _liked_ it. Maybe even _loved_ it! "S-so, you liked it?" She nodded. I blushed. "I-I thought maybe you wouldn't remember it, we were so drunk last night. I barely did." I sat down on her bed and tried to collect myself some more.

Giggling, she put a hand on my bare shoulder, standing above me. "You forget, 'Nata-chan, I'm used to drinking, I remember things a lot easier." Duh. How could I forget? She practically coached me through the entire night. "And yes, I loved it." She kissed me, again. And I didn't stop her, again. I just melted into her lips.

After she had broke the kiss, I gasped, before standing up and grabbing my clothes. Changing into the same type of simple outfit she did, I sat down on her bed and sighed. "I didn't exactly mean for it to go like that, but I did enjoy it quite a lot. I enjoyed all of it last night." Leaning back she sat down next to me and did the same, as we just laid and gazed into each others eyes.

"Well you don't regret it, do you?" Hmm, I thought about it. Do I? I suppose I don't, and it kinda was my idea. I did kinda bait her into it. Shaking my head 'no' she just smiled. "I think we're good then, 'Nata." There was a scheming in her eyes, I just couldn't put my finger on what she was scheming.

We laid there for a while, just talking about last night, and Temari, and how she seemed a bit fishy when she said she wasn't pregnant. The more I thought about it, the sketchier the situation had seemed. I just hope she does the right thing for Shikamaru and the potential babies sake.

Sure, they weren't exactly ready for a kid at seventeen and eighteen, but there's nothing you can do about it. I know Shikamaru and Temari are against abortion, or at least Shikamaru, so that options out of the equation. I don't think she's pregnant though, no way, and Sakura agreed with me. She lived in Suna and we were in Konoha so I don't think that they could've been that sexually active.

I went to use the restroom, and after I got out, what did I see? It was a replay of last night, only Sakura is the one laying naked on a bed waiting for me to come join her. "Hey 'Nata chan, my parents are gonna be gone _all day_ and once you leave, imma be _all alone_. What say we have just a little bit of fun, ne?" Gah, is this how it feels to have the tables turned on you? She spread her legs, letting me catch a glimpse of her soaking wet privates.

Touché, 'Kura-chan, touché. Ah how the tables have turned on me today. After looking at the clock to check if we had enough time to have a second go at each other, and confirming my hopes, I simply nodded with a smile on my face and got undressed, diving into bed with a girl for the second time. If only Naruto was here to see this, maybe a threesome doesn't sound too unappealing...

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _September 26th, 12:45 pm._

GAH! I had the WORST headache EVER! And it didn't seem to be getting any better. Of course the teme was all fine and everything, as he drove over her to 'check on me.'. Yea right, more like make fun of me and torment me for letting myself lose control of myself. I was just celebrating, man, we won the tournament, which I, for one, am thankful I remember clear as day.

If it didn't get any better, I'd be forced to knock Sasuke and his laughing and jokes out. He sounded like nails on a chalkboard right about now. "Now, now, dobe. Did we learn anything from last night?" I swear Sasuke, I swear. He's lucky my entire body is sore from last night. I'm a split second from hopping up and decking him.

"It wouldn't be the first time my little Naru-kun lost control of himself and drank too much, Sasuke-kun." Thanks for siding with me, mom, just thanks. Not only is my best friend tormenting hungover-me, but now my own maternal mother. Could this day get any worse?

I heard my front door open, followed by my mother greeting the next person to torture me. _Shikamaru_. Now both of my friends and my mom are here to drive me to suicide. "Hey Naruto, feeling any better since your little escapade last night?" C'mon, just go fuck yourself in the corner quietly, please Shikamaru.

Sitting up in my bed and gulping some water down, I let out a slight, throaty growl. "Just because I slammed fourteen beers, six shots and a few mixed drinks in two hours doesn't mean you guys can just come torment me! Give me a _fucking_ break!" Why exactly did I call these two my friends? Not like I had a choice but to call my mom, well, mom, but these two are here by choice.

They both backed up a bit, putting their hands up as if to guard themselves from any potential attack. "Ne, calm down Naruto, just come eat and get rid of that headache, before we inform you of another one." Another headache? What the hell did Shika mean by that? I need to get to the bottom of this.

Dressing into more suitable clothes that weren't pajamas, I headed downstairs and sat down. "Thanks for the aspirin, ma. It's really helping now." After reminding me that a good meal of pancakes and eggs, a late breakfast, would help too, I dug into it, scarfing down my meal like I hadn't ate in a few days. "So," I managed to start in between bites. "What did you mean by 'another headache'?"

I saw Sasuke start digging through his phone, before showing me a Leafbook post from this morning by the schools local little snitch, Kabuto Yakushi. A senior who calls himself a 'reporter' on some of the most 'juiciest' topics around the school area. What I saw made me go black with anger.

 _"What a party last night! The team of Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuuga prevailed as they became the fall beer pong champions, a first for Miss Hyuuga and Mr. Uzumaki! Maybe there was...a bit of a celebration going on afterwards, hmm...who knows."_

Attached to the post was an obviously photo-shopped picture of me and Hinata making out, when in reality that was about the time I passed out and Hinata was, well, I don't know. That's the issue. "Mmm, you guys obviously know this is fake, who does this guy think he is!? This could ruin her image, I couldn't care less about mine, everyone knows who I am!" Ooh when I get my hands on that little punk.

I looked at Shikamaru after seeing him sigh into his hands. "Ne there's quite a few headaches we're all gonna have to deal with now. Some personally, like me and Temari-chan. Today she dodged my good morning text, and I know she's up 'cuz she's a morning person. I don't know what's up but she 'needs to talk to me' later, and we're meeting at the coffee joint down the road."

Me and Sasuke looked towards my mom. "Hey, ma, you're a girl. Any speculations or reasoning you can think of behind this?" I mean, she _might_ know. There's no better person to go to for girl advice besides, well, another girl. She thought about it for a minute, before looking at Shika.

"Well, you two haven't fought recently, have you?" He shook his head. "Hmm. No tension, of any kind?" Another shake of his head. "Well, if she wants to _talk,_ I can only imagine it's about something important to her, even if it may not be a huge deal to you. The only advice I can give is just go listen to what she has to say, especially since she's driving all the way from Suna to here just to be face to face with you."

Shikamaru nodded to my mom. "Thanks, Kushina-san, I agree. I know her and if she wants to talk face to face, I know it's really important to her at least." My mom waved off the formality in his voice, collecting our plates and going to wash them, a signal for us to continue our 'man business' as she calls it.

"Now, the only way I can see to handle this little Kabuto situation is pure intimidation. If there was another way, I would say lets do that, but if I know _anything_ about this Kabuto kid, he's not easily swayed by words and talking." Not a bad idea, teme, I'm down for a bit of physical intimidation on a little punk like Kabuto. We're not bullies at all, but some situations do call for a bit of brute force.

"Ne, but we'll have to catch him at school. The only class we have with him is fifth period science. It'll have to be before or right after that. So we just push him around, threaten him a bit and maybe get a few shots in?" I may be in karate but I still don't like pointless violence. If this doesn't work, I might have to go to plan b. Kick the shit outta him.

"We could catch him right after school, follow him to his car, yano?" Ah, yea, better. No teachers, no classmates, just simply follow him to his car and give him the deal. Thanks for that idea, Shika.

With mine and Sasuke's nods, it was settled. Tomorrow, this would all end, hopefully. We finished up the details, and turned to Sasuke, looking for what his possible headache could be. They did come in pairs of threes. "Me? I mean, Sakura just wanted me to go eat with her. I'm not sure if she still has that crush on me, and I'm not sure how I feel about a relationship right now."

True. For the longest time, Sakura did have a crush on Sasuke. That was two years ago, though, and neither could really act on it. We were freshmen, just getting started on football, just figuring out how to survive freshman year, without dropping out or killing ourselves. Or each other. I can't count the times that we all snapped at each other on two hands, but we persevered, and here we are. Best friends. "Well, just go out and see how it feels. Kinda like dipping your foot in the water."

It was the most solid advice me and Shika could give him, as we talked for another hour or so, before they left, each going to deal with their own headaches as I'm left with my own lingering hangover.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _September 26th, 3:15 pm._

Ah, home sweet home. I bid farewell to Sakura as I carried my bags of stuff directly to my room, hiding the sensitive stuff before my dad found it. Thankfully Sakura let me shower at her place so I didn't smell like straight sex. It could've been better if she didn't shower _with_ me, but again, I'm not complaining. I had just gotten everything put away and hidden before my dad knocked on my door. "Come in!" I yelled, laying on my bed.

He walked over to me, sitting on my bed next to my prone body. "So, did my princess have a good time?" Ugh, _princess._ I really felt more like a hooker even though I know it wasn't true. Was sex really that taboo? To my dad, yea.

I looked up at him and smiled. "Yea, me and Sakura had a really good time. We hung out, talked, did a bit of shopping, overall it was a pretty lax time." Would he believe my lies? That was yet to be determined. For my sake, I'm begging god that he does. I'd never be let out if he found out what happened.

"No partying?"

Huh, what? I froze. Did he know? "N-no sir, not at all." I know he didn't believe me, as he slowly chuckled a bit, before standing up. Oh lord, could this get any worse? I was surely grounded for at least a month, maybe more depending on how much he knows. How did parents always know?

"Hinata, come. Follow me." He motioned for me to get up and follow him, and its not like I had a choice. I knew where we were going. To his office, where he usually brought us to handle sensitive topics and issuing out punishments. I guess it's because it's a formal setting, and he is a businessman, so he felt more comfortable handing business in a professional setting.

When we reached his office, he gestured for me to enter as he flicked on the light. "Now, Hinata, is the time for you to find out the truth." Truth? Was he secretly a rodeo clown? Yakuza boss? Something along the lines? He led me to the closet in his office that none of us were allowed to enter. It held 'sensitive files'. After pulling the light string in it, I was greeted by its contents. Four trophies much like the one me and Naruto got for winning the tournament.

Unsure of what to say, I just gazed at them, two read 'Fall Champions' and the other two read 'Spring Break Classic Champions'. "D-dad? You won the tournament too?" Okay, so he's a beer pong champion. Hearing about him partying was a shock enough.

He put a hand on my shoulder and laughed heartily. "Yes, Hina. How do you think I met your mother? Come sit and I'll explain." We went and sat down at his desk, as he launched into the story of how my mom and dad met. "You see, me and Shikamaru's dad, Shikaku, won a tournament each year. We were good, _really_ good. He a physics whiz and me, well, I guess I was just good. It was senior year and we were playing for the Spring Break Classic championship, a few months before graduating and your mom, I guess impressed by our skills, went and was hitting on...Shikaku."

Well, that was anticlimactic. "She was hitting on Shikaku-san?" He nodded, as I couldn't help but laugh a bit. What are the odds? You play and win a tournament and you get swerved for your best friend. Classic, indeed. "So how did she end up with you?"

Reaching into a desk drawer, he pulled out a picture of my mom, drunker than a skunk, barfing on my dads shoes. Ouch. "After that incident, it kinda broke the ice. She was set on Shikaku still, but he was a great wingman and pushed her towards me. He was interested in another woman anyways, Shikamaru's mom. We found that we had a lot in common, we were going to the same college, same major, same interest in music, and by graduation, she gradually fell for me. We spent a lot of time hanging out in college, and after graduating, we got married. Four and a half long years later. The rest is history. Three years later you came along."

So that answered those questions, but one big one still lingered in the air. "H-how did you know what I was doing then?" Did one of my friends snitch? I wouldn't doubt it if Ino caught wind of this and ratted me out.

"Well, there's two answers. One is how I knew you were there. I'm good friends with the kids parents who hosted the party. Two is how I knew you won the tournament." He pulled out his phone, showing me a post on Leafbook sent to him by Shikaku with the message 'Runs in the blood, eh?'. What troubled me was the photo of me and Naruto making out.

I know that didn't happen, for sure. "Er, okay I did _not_ make out with Naruto that night, at all. That has to be some good photo editing." He has no reason to believe me, I'm just hoping that he would. I still don't know how he feels about me partying.

He sighed a bit, before looking me in the eye. "I know it's edited. Shikaku told me what Shikamaru had to say about it, and I know Naruto-san was blackout drunk that night anyways. He said that the three boys are gonna 'handle it'. It's best to just leave it to them, if this Naruto kid likes you at all I have faith he'll take care of it."

Sighing a sigh of relief, there was just one last question. "So, what's my punishment for lying and partying without your permission?" Like he'd ever give me permission to party anyways. There's a snowballs chance in hell of him ever doing that. His answer shocked me, to say the least, but I guess in a sense it made sense.

"What, you think I let you go without knowing that you'd be going to the party? I know Sakura and the boys are as thick as thieves, and chances are that you'd be going with her to the party. Sure, you coulda just hung out and not drank, but you were responsible from what I heard and I'm proud. I knew this was gonna happen eventually, so why not now? You're safe and still innocent. You are, right?"

He gazed at me and I shrunk into my seat. "Y-yes, I'm still _innocent_ , dad. Sakura wouldn't let me sleep with anyone that night even if she was drunk." Well, it was a half lie, but it did the job as he sank into his seat and smiled, a thumbs up pretty much. As long as he didn't know about me and Sakura _experimenting_ we were all good. And thank god for that one.

I saw him visibly relax and stand up. "Now, your sister is over at Konohamaru-sans house for a 'play date'. I hate that term. But I digress, I don't feel like cooking a whole meal so why don't we go get some food at a restaurant, maybe the one that sells those cinnamon buns you like so much."

How was I supposed to say no to that?

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV**

* * *

 _September 26th, 4:00 pm._

I pulled into the small cafe's parking lot and found a spot, conveniently next to Sakura's tan little coupe. Locking to doors to my new-ish Challenger, she waved me in from the window, smiling. I suppose someone smiling because of me isn't such a bad thing. "Hey, Sakura-chan, how're you doing?" I greeted her, taking a seat right in front of her.

She took a sip of her coffee before answering. "I'm good, Sasuke-kun, how're you doing?" Good question, how was I doing? I mean, I'm not hungover like Naruto, don't have any girl troubles like Shikamaru and I'm not sure about Hinata, but I'm sure she's doing pretty good.

Motioning for the waitress to bring me a coffee too, I sighed softly. "I'm doing pretty good, better than Naruto and his hangover and Shika with Temari 'needing to talk to him'" I added the air quote marks for extra measure. "Just wondering what the point of this little meeting is." I managed to catch a bit of the song in the background, and it lightened my mood a bit.

 _Welcome to where time stands still/where no one leaves and no one will._

The second my ears picked up the sound of the guitars in the background, I smiled. "I know, you love this song. Its the song that was playing when we almost..." She trailed off, and just like that, my smile had disappeared.

 _No locked doors, no windows barred/no things to make my brain seem scarred._

I remember that night. We had met in a café much like this one, and she had a tough night with her parents. I comforted her, and in that moment I actually felt wanted. We almost kissed, _almost_ being the key word. "I remember very well, Sakura-chan. Is that why you brought me here?" Maybe my hunch was right, for once.

 _Sanitarium! Leave me be! Sanitarium! Just leave me alone..._

Those last few words stung me, as my memories played back that night in clear view, the guitar solo coaxing them along. I was an unsure guy at the moment, I wasn't sure if love or a relationship was in my best interest at the time. I told her to 'just leave me alone' and left. Our friendship was never the same but nevertheless recovered. "Sasuke-kun, just listen please..."

Why was I so cold that night? Much like Naruto, my dad left my mom but he decided to leave right before freshman year, three weeks before the incident with Sakura. Understandably I was still a bit shook up by it, but to be a dick to the girl that I cared for and tell her to leave me alone on a night when her own demons wouldn't leave her alone? Even if she didn't know it then, nor anyone else for that matter, I did care for her.

Her piercing eyes broke me from my trance, along with the track changing to another song that fit this scene perfectly well.

 _It kills me not to know this but I've all but just forgotten/what the color of her eyes were, and her scars or how she got them._

It's not false. I forgot just how her green eyes pierced right through mine and into my soul. Even after that night, she tried her hardest to help me through what I was suffering from, and all she got was a cold shoulder from me, especially when she needed it to cry on. "Okay, Sakura-chan, I'll listen to you." It was the least I could do for her.

She put her hand over my hand and sighed deeply. "I know what happened between us was over two years ago, but I haven't forgotten about how I feel for you, Sasuke-kun. You were going through some shit, as was I, and it seems like it just wasn't the right time. And it was selfish of me to try and make a move on you. I just thought maybe it would help, but I was wrong, it only ended up damaging our friendship even more." I saw a tear ready itself to cascade down her face.

So bad did I want to be the one to brush it from her face. Would that be right in this situation? Fuck it, might as well. "Sakura-chan." I started while brushing the tear from her face with a single finger. "I had no reason to be that cold to you. If anything, _I_ damaged our friendship. I'm just too much of a coward to admit when I fuck up. But here I am, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I put us in this position, I'm sorry I pushed you, the one who tried the hardest to make me feel better, away from me. I'm sorry I was too blind to see how I felt about you, and I'm sorry I didn't act on it, instead making you feel like this."

Sniffling a bit, she looked directly into my eyes, and we just stared at each other for a good minute, as our hands subconsciously locked together, our fingers intertwining. "Sasuke-kun...thank you. Is it too late for this to be a thing?"

That's a great question, is it too late? Deciding after a few seconds, I answered her. "No, thank you for being there for me Sakura-chan. You only meant best, and I appreciate that more than I ever showed it." Pausing to lean in, it seems like I've found an answer. "And no, its not too late. Its never too late." I took her lips in mine, fuck the people watching, they could kiss my ass.

We only stopped to catch our breath, but that was for just a minute. I wasn't a man of PDA, but in this moment I couldn't care less. I had the girl that I loved in my presence and her lips were on mine, what more could I ask for? She broke it off, which worried me for a second before I saw her grin, which made me grin as well as she puled me into her, as we shared each others embrace, fate would have that something, or _someone_ would have ruin this moment.

 _*beep beep-click!*_ "Ha! Got em. Lets go Kiba-kun!"

Okay, for one, Ino just had to butt in in this situation. And two, her and Kiba-mutt were a thing now? "Sasuke-kun, who cares? Let people know that I have the most handsome man as my boyfriend now."

She's right, who gives a fuck? "True, and I have the most beautiful princess as my girlfriend now, even if it was after multiple fuck ups and mistakes."

Giggling a bit, she grabbed my collar and issued a command I couldn't help but follow. "Shut up and kiss me, Sasuke-kun." I obliged. Over and over and over again.

* * *

A little while later, we found ourselves at a diner with Naruto, who thankfully felt a lot better. After what just happened, I'd rather not hear him bitch and whine. Plus, if anyone, he needs to find out about this before Ino goes and tells it on the Mountain. "Feeling better, dobe." I knew he did, still gotta ask though.

He smiled and gave us a thumbs up. "A lot better now, especially you and Shika-teme aren't fuckin' with me." To be honest, what did he expect?

"Ne, teme, that's what we're there for, and you know that you'd do the same shit to either of us should the situation find itself flip-reversed." Its true, though. If I was hungover I'd expect him and Shikamaru to be at my house as soon as I got up, armed to the teeth with annoying antics and loud ass remarks. Am I complaining? Nah, it's what makes us friends.

If we were anyone else, we'd be knocking the people out that fuck with hungover-us. "You two baka's play nice ok?" Of course, I couldn't act like a whipped little bitch in front of Naruto, but if I didn't, she'd be on my ass. Was it worth it? Hell no.

"Yes ma'am." If this didn't give it away to the blonde idiot, I don't know what would. I saw him look at me, and then to Sakura, then back to me, once more to Sakura, then again it was dead set on me. He smirked, then smiled, then grinned. "What's so funny, dobe?"

Starting to giggle, he tried to speak, but only ended up busting out in laughter. "Ok, ok." Trying to cool himself down, he caught Sakura's annoyed gaze, and instantly stopped his fit. "One, you said yes ma'am like a little girl. Two, I knew you two would eventually get together." He must have saw me getting ready to speak, 'cuz he interjected quickly. "Don't deny it, I now know why I'm here. You'd never say that to her if you two weren't together."

Again, I went to speak, but the pink haired girl next to me interjected this time. "Well, maybe he's just being a respectful man now." Me and Naruto's gaze met, and his goofy smile made me crack as we both ended up laughing our asses off, along with Sakura. "O-ok, yea no we know that's unlikely. Yea me and Sasuke-kun are a thing now."

After calming his laughing fit, he asked a good question. "Well I'm happy for you two! But why did you have me come here to tell me? I mean thanks, but other than they have my favorite ice cream shakes, why am I here?"

I cleared my throat, trying to sound serious. "Well, Naruto, we wanted to tell you before you found out through any other...dubious means." I saw his questioning look, which was a sign to continue. "Well when me and Sakura-chan were kissing, Ino and the mutt Kiba were spying on us and snapped a picture of us. So it'll be all over Leafbook pretty soon."

He seemed to understand, nodding to me sternly. "Well thanks for that, Sasuke. I gotta admit, it feels better hearing it straight from you than Ino-pig." I had faith that he'd understand. "So wait, her and Kiba are a thing now too?" Hmm, good question. I wouldn't doubt it, the motherfucker would hit anything that had a vagina and two legs.

"Ino-pig and Kiba-mutt are a match made in heaven. He's a man-whore and she's a, well, just a whore in general." Me and Naruto got a good laugh out of Sakura's wording of it, but it was accurate. They both will end up cheating on each other. If it were possible they'd cheat on each other with _each other_.

Naruto's hand clapped onto my shoulder. "Well, teme, and Sakura-chan, I'm happy for you two. It was only a matter of time before you two got together. I saw this coming from all the way back in freshman year." Was it that obvious that we were gonna end up boyfriend and girlfriend? Did Shikamaru feel the same way? "But hey, who wants to go catch a movie?"

It wasn't a bad idea, we hadn't been to the movies in at least a couple of months. "Why don't you ask Hinata if she wants to catch one with us?" Sakura offered. Good idea, those two need to shackle up eventually. I see they way he looks at her and it's different than the way he looked at Karin or Kin. "I'm sure she'd love to."

 _*buzz buzz*_ "She said yea, what time and what movie?" After looking up times and movies, we settled on Grave Mistake. It was a horror flick, so that was sure to get her all over him, and probably Sakura all over me. Win-win. Getting the confirmation from him, we headed out to the theatre. Could we call this a double date? Maybe.

Today was going a lot better than I could've thought. Where I was once dreading my meeting with Sakura, it turned out the best way possible. And hopefully Naruto and Hinata turn out really good. I have a feeling it will, they're perfect for each other, in more ways than I probably know. He's brash and loud and she's calm and timid. Until she's drunk though...but I digress.

I found peace in my current situation. Just me, three of my friends, a movie, popcorn. Company and peace, when I needed it the most, too. But my mind couldn't help but drift off to thoughts of Shikamaru and what he must be handling right now. While we were waiting, Sakura filled me in on the Temari-pregnancy thing, and I agreed with her, there's no way she is. I just think part of her was sad that she wasn't.

If I know the first thing about Shikamaru, he'll handle this situation the best possible way. Which coincidently means not pissing off the blonde girlfriend of his. From what I've heard, she has quite the temper. So does my pink haired mess, but that's my problem. Well, not a problem, till I actually piss her off. In that situation, I think I'll take my deadbeat dads advice for once and run. Run like fuckin' hell.

That's one thing he did get right, I used it on my mom a few times and it saved my ass. Thanks for at least that, you piece of shit.

My eyes floated over to the blonde and dark haired girl in his company and for once, I smiled a genuine smile, happy that me and him found the missing puzzle piece in our love lives.

'Shikamaru, I'm praying for you buddy...'

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _September 26th, 6:45 pm._

I was early, fifteen minutes earlier than the seven o' clock meeting time she had originally planned, but wasn't surprised when she pulled in a few minutes later, herself being about ten minutes early. Despite the grim seeming situation, I smiled seeing her pretty face again, exiting her car and walking through the door, finding a seat across from me in the booth, in this small coffee café.

She kissed me, but it didn't seem the same. It seemed...dead, emotionless, _stale_. This, of course, had me worried. "Hey love, how're you feeling?" Sappy, yes, but I'm not stupid. I know how to turn the sweetness and shit when it's most needed. We weren't a couple that was huge on sappy, sugary moments, especially not publicly, but this was a different situation.

My heart kept on sinking when she just sighed, burying her face into her hands. "I'm ok, Shika-kun. But we do need to talk, and this time its not just me being a silly little girl." Ow, okay, calm down with the knife there, Tem-chan. I may have joked about her 'silly girl problems' but I wasn't that serious though.

I grabbed her hand, looking her in the eyes before speaking. "I'm sorry if my jokes about that hurt you, you know that, but I'm here for you, anything you need to talk about Tem-chan." C'mon, work with me please? She has to be pms'ing or summin, she never acts like this.

That's what has me worried the most, I guess. She usually just gets out with it. If she has a problem, she doesn't hold back. I kept thinking back to the past few months, trying to figure out if I did anything wrong. "I know, Shika, but I just don't know how to put this." She had to have seen me visibly gulp, 'cuz her reaffirmation kinda helped a bit. "No, we're not breaking up. Of course, unless you want to..."

"Okay no, I don't want to, especially not if you don't want to." What could she have done? Cheated? I highly doubt that. As adamant as she has been about if I ever cheated she'd castrate me and hang me out to dry in front of the whole school. Not like I was thinking about it anyways, I love her too much to fuck that up for a night of pleasure.

She just laughed a little bit, but it wasn't a happy, joyful laugh, accented by the small tear rolling down her face. "I'm not so sure you'd say the same after tonight." Just when I thought she got as transparent as she could've got, she goes and says stuff like this.

Taking a deep breath, I focus all of my patience. God knows imma need it right now. "Look Temari, whatever this is, I'm sure we can find a way to work around it. Just tell me, love. Tell me so we can start focusing on what to do next." Whatever it was, I'm sure we could work it out. It must be something big because, again, she never acts like this towards me.

I gave her a moment to collect her thoughts, before she started. "Well, there's a reason I only drank two drinks at the party last night..." Oh lord, we're gonna play _that_ game. Ya know, the momentary subtle hint game, where they sit there and half ass tell you the reasons behind the thing they need to talk about. It's my _favorite_ game to play. Ha, not.

"I thought you were just not feeling good that night. Is there another reason?"

Simply nodding her head somberly, she continued. "Just as a forewarning, I completely understand if you don't want to be with me after this." Okay did she actually cheat? This is exactly what it sounds like. She made a mistake and she thinks imma be mad. "I'm not sure how to put this, but..."

"Just say it however you need to say it, Tem-chan. You didn't cheat, did you?" In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have said that. The look of hurt on her face made me feel like a big ole piece of shit. "Okay, sorry, I know you would never, please forgive me." Hopefully that did the trick. I'm not the smartest man alive, but I know she knows I didn't mean it in any type of way.

She shook her head. "It's ok, Shika-kun, and no I didn't just..." I could tell she was gathering all of her strength, 'cuz she was clenching and unclenching her fist, and squeezing her eyes shut then relaxing them again. When her eyes popped open, I saw her tears fall, and her breath hitched.

Then she said the three words that would change my life, forever.

"Shika, I'm...I'm pregnant..."

Pregnant. She's _pregnant._ How? Okay, I know how it happens, but we were careful, I used protection and she used her birth control. So how? And why me? Most importantly, how did I feel about this? "Tem..." What was I supposed to say when I didn't even know exactly how I felt about this. "I...I just don't know what to say right now..." I'm assuming that she didn't know, either, she was as silent as me.

I had to have been sitting there for a good while, I didn't even notice her leaving I was so meddled in my own thoughts. Once I realized she was long gone, I slammed my fist on the table, dropping some money on it for my coffee and getting in my car, slamming the doors and cranking it up, burning off into the night. It was times like this that I liked Naruto's taste in music.

Pissed off metal is what I needed, and pissed off metal is what I got when I slammed the CD he made for me a year back, given to me with the note 'everyone's gonna have their day where they need it, Shika.' He wasn't wrong, for once. Why was I pissed? Moreover, who was I pissed at? Me, her, my inability to speak before she left me there in that diner wondering what she thought of me?

 _There's always something different going wrong. The path I walks in the wrong direction!_

The slamming drums coerced me to where I was going. I needed to hit something, and something _hard_. Where was I going? I don't know, but I'll find out when I get there. Did I want to know? Probably not.

 _Can anybody help me make things better?_

Nope, this ones all on me. I cursed and hit my steering wheel as I skidded to a stop at the red light. It would have to do for now, as my head drifted off to thoughts of my friends, finally finding the ones that they cared for as my love slowly but surely made her way back to Suna.

 _Your tears don't fall, they crash around me./Her conscience calls, the guilty to come home._

Could I have drove all the way to Suna after her? Sure, but I still probably wouldn't have known what to say. Stopping by my house and praising that my parents weren't home, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and started chugging it before grabbing a pack of cigarettes from my dads freezer. Time to find out if these things really do go well with stress and alcohol.

I definitely felt more badass as I continued making my way to my target, the alcohol only making me an angry, buzzed teenager with a needing for violence. I sent the text to my victim, which was sure to draw him out of where he was.

 _It's the cunt, with the tongue, who belongs on broken knees._

Thanks again for the soundtrack, blondie. It was really helping me out. I swerved around the corner, just a few minutes away from the meeting spot. A few long minutes, _very_ long minutes to me. Soon enough, soon enough.

 _We bury what we fear the most, approaching original violence._

Original violence was accurate as I whipped into the parking lot of the abandoned store, parking it and getting out to meet my target. "Ne Shikamaru, this must be really juicy if we're meeting here."

That's all he managed to get out before I punched him in the face as hard as I could feeling his nose crunch under my nose. "Shut the fuck up!" He thought he could get away with it, but tomorrow couldn't wait. He barely got the chance to look at me before I pounced again, punching him again and again as he fell to the ground.

I stomped on his stomach and legs as he coughed up blood. "You think its ok to just fuck with my friends and ruin their lives, huh!?" Mounting him, I pounded on his face until he no longer moved, breaking a few of my knuckles and covering my hands in blood before digging into his pocket and grabbing his phone. Dumbass didn't put a lock on it as I got onto his Leafbook and found the post, deleting the picture from his phone and the post along with the caption before sending a text to the dude who took the picture.

Admittedly I was relieved to see my virtual punching bag open his eyes. Grabbing his collar, I pulled him up to my face. "Look, bitch, fuck with my friends again, and it's gonna be worse than this. Forget I ever texted you, and all is forgiven, got it?" With a quick nod and 'mhmm', I dropped him, putting his phone on his stomach after deleting our texts and getting back into my car, leaving the scene in a hurry to my next victim.

They had it coming, I swear...they had it coming...

 _So step inside, see the devil in I..._

* * *

 _September 27th, 12:45 am._

I made it home just before my parents, thankfully. It had been a few hours since the little rage session, and I took a long walk around the park to clear my mind. Washing the blood off my knuckles when I got home, I changed into some sleepwear. The other guy wasn't as hard to convince, considering he just photo-shops whatever he's paid for. He was apologetic as soon as I got there, but I gave him a few punches for good measure.

Laying in bed, I hear my phone buzz and look over, to see a call I wasn't expecting.

Temari.

It's not like I couldn't answer. I flicked the green logo to the side. "Tem-chan, my love, I'm so sorry I didn't answer you earlier." She didn't get the chance to talk as I heard her tears, which made me angrier, but just at myself. "I love you to death, my hime, and I'm sure no matter what, we can figure this out. This wasn't just your fault, it was mine, and I'll stick this out till the end, okay baby?"

 _"Thank you, Shika-kun...I love you so much..."_

"I love you too, my princess. Get some sleep, love. Goodnight."

 _"Goodnight, love you."_

What would tomorrow hold? I saw the post from Ino about Sasuke and Sakura and while I was hurt to find out like this, I did tell them I would text them when I was in the clear.

I'm happy for them, though. Sleep, please some end this day...

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _September 26th, 11:15 pm._

It wasn't till just now I got home. We went and ate after the movie and hung out in the arcade like losers. We noticed that the post with me and Naruto 'kissing' was suspiciously gone and the post edited, but shrugged it off, figuring that someone must have got to him or he had a change of heart. Oh well, time to get high.

 _12:00 am_.

Me and Naruto had texted a few times, he had to have been high too. Matter of fact, I think he even mentioned it too.

 _1:00 am._

Our conversations kept flying, as we talked about anything from food to his missing dad.

 _2:00 am._

Towards the end of the hour, we both started nodding off.

 _3:15 am._

 _"Goodnight, Hina-chan, I'll take you on a real date sometime soon. Sleep well, see you in school."_

I'll hold you to that, Naruto-kun...

 _"Goodnight to you too, Naru-kun. I'd love that..."_

I had a feeling tomorrow was gonna be a big day...

* * *

 **A/N:** _BOY_ , that was a turn I wasn't expecting myself, but I liked it. That's the end to the Saku/Hina saga (for now, you know it'll return _eventually_ , just not full time.), and Shikamaru was _way_ OOC this chapter, but I think it was needed. He'll be back to normal Shika, well, as normal as he can be. Read, review and favorite/follow if you will, Ja Ne!


	5. Comfortably Numb

**A/N:** As another forewarning, the Sakura POV section of the story is really dark and obscene, so if that's not your thing, just skip till you hit the SECOND **O.O.O.O**. **O.O**. Other than that, enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to Pink Floyd.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _September 27th, 8:00 am._

I absolutely _hated_ doing algebra first thing in the morning, but its not like there was any other choice for me. Mr. Asuma never took it easy on us. We slowly started trickling in one by one, groggy students yawning and rubbing their eyes. Looks like a few of them were still recovering from Saturday night. I spotted Sasuke who took the chair to my left, but I didn't see Shikamaru anywhere.

He probably slept in again, knowing him. Although he's smarter than shit, he loves his sleep. It did worry me a but that he hadn't texted any of us since leaving for his meeting with Temari, but I'm sure he has his reasons. I just hope he isn't mad about finding out about Sasuke and Sakura through the net. "Ne Sasuke, has Shikamaru texted you today or even last night?" Maybe I just didn't get his.

With a shake of his head, Sasuke turned to me and yawned. "Nope, didn't even text 'Kura-chan. Whatever happened with Temari must have been more important than we guessed." Probably. At least, that's the hope and he's not turned out in prison being someone's personal pin cushion. Ugh, that's dark.

 _*buzz buzz* "Hey guys, I'm running late for class, had an accident last night. See you soon."_

Well that makes sense. I wonder what kinda 'accident' we're talking about here. He had ten minutes to show up, and with five minutes left he walked in the door, sporting a wrapped right hand and a relaxed look on his face. Was this motherfucker high? "Baka, about time you showed up bro. What happened with the hand?" He just smiled and sat down. I think this dude _is_ high.

"I'll have to explain after school." If it was that serious, I have to respect that. "Oh by the way, that CD you gave me, you were right. Everyone needs it eventually." Okay, the angry music CD? Now this dude really does have me worried. If he was angry, it might explain the wrapped up hand, but what could set the most calm, lazy guy off that bad to where he gets that angry?

All we could do is just agree and move on with our lives temporarily. We moved through algebra easily, surprisingly, and onto health class. Tsunade was a slave driver, but at least she was something good to look at. Funny how the lesson today was about MMA injuries and risks, including hand injuries. "Heh, looks like you've got this one in the bag, Shika." He just looked at me and smirked.

Our buxom, busty teacher approached her desk and put her hands on it, leaning forward and giving us a good look down her blouse. She was always a fuckin' tease. "Alright class, sit down, shut up, and get ready to learn." Tsunade turned and looked at Shikamaru, glaring into his soul like she knew something. "Nara, what happened to your hand?"

Shika, being the lazy fucker he is, just shrugged and simply said. "Had an accident, broke three of my knuckles" before resting his chin on his good hand, staring forward at the teacher. Is he really thinking she's that stupid? She has to know something, but what could she possibly know?

I saw her approach Shikamaru, putting a hand on his desk and looking him straight in the eyes. "My office, after class. Got it?" What else could he do but nod? Satisfied with his nod, she heads back to her desk to prepare our materials for the day. "Now class, we'll be learning about injuries while fighting today, especially in sports such as MMA and the like." And so the class began.

Not gonna lie, it was an interesting class. We talked about what injuries can occur in mixed martial arts, like facial fractures, concussions, broken ribs, legs, arms. Pretty much a whole host of potential shit. Including...knuckle fractures on the outside knuckles. Like Shikamaru has. I don't know why but I'm suddenly getting a bad feeling. The picture going down, post being edited...

...Kabuto not being in school today, when he never misses a day. There's no way Shika was behind all of this, right? I know Sasuke was feeling the same feeling, sharing the same look as me as we waited for him to leave the office of Tsunade and join us for history, right before we go grub down on lunch. "Dobe, we have to find out the truth."

Agreed, teme. But I wanna hear it from Shika's mouth first. I'm sure whatever it was that set him off, he has a good reason. "We might as well wait for him to talk first, you know how he is if you try to force summin out of him." He's been known to be a tight lipped dude when he wants or needs to be, its kept him outta trouble though so I don't blame 'im.

Sasuke just nodded, knowing what I said was true. Fifteen minutes had passed before the pineapple headed boy walked out of Tsunade's office with an annoyed look on his face. "C'mon guys, let get to class." Which is exactly what we did. Thirty minutes late to an hour and a half history review class before next weeks test, but we didn't care. most of us knew this stuff by now.

History was something Konoha in general loved. It's drilled into our minds from first grade till college ends. And even then after that its a big conversation topic, at least of the old generation. I know my mom still goes on and on about 'back in the day' and such and how she's the same age as the current Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Why doesn't she try to date him then?

Hell, I could pass for his kid. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Yano, the more I think about it...nah, he ain't my dad. He's a really good man, there's no way he'd leave my mom. And if she really wanted him there for me she could ruin his political career with a baby momma/deadbeat dad story. It's what I would've done if I were her. I'm determined to find my real dad though.

Its against my moms wishes, but I really couldn't care less right now. If she doesn't wanna talk, I'll find someone and get them to do the talking. I couldn't even pay attention to Mr. Hiruzen and his lesson right now, with everything from my full parental origins to Shikamaru's quagmire. Whatever it happens to be.

We headed to lunch now, meeting up with Hinata and Sakura. Before we got to the table, though, Shikamaru walked off to the side door. "I gotta go take my painkillers, I'll be right back." I'm sure he's in pain, but I'm also sure his 'painkiller' is something different. Namely a sticky, smelly, green plant. I like pot and so does Sasuke, but I also like not being in jail.

School police were assholes, and I just wanna enjoy my lunch in the company of friends and my potential girlfriend. "Hey Hina-chan!" She stood up and gave me a hug after I set my tray down. She really has broken out of that shell of hers. Hopefully we can get a solo date soon, or at least hang out soon.

She looked at me and smiled. "Me and Sakura were just having a good conversation about how my dad knew about me going to the party and me and you winning the tournament." Wait, what? How is she still standing here then. "Here, check this out." Handing me her phone I looked at the pictures.

Holy hell, her dad and Shika's dad were four time champions? There's a picture of two spring cups and two fall cups, and wait...what's this? A picture of Hinata in skimpy, dark orange and black lingerie? Woops, wasn't supposed to see that, but I blushed, handing the phone back to her. "I think I went a little too far, Hinata-chan."

What shocked me the most was she wasn't blushing at all, just smiling. "Oh, did you? My bad, I should've watched you. Oh well." Did...did she do this on purpose? Sakura, what the _fuck_ are you doing to this once-shy girl? I think I kinda underestimated the power of girls, though. It's my fault, honestly. I knew how Sakura can be around other people, so I'm not all that surprised.

"A-anyways, how are you two doing today?" Was all I could stutter out, looking like a complete fool. I'm definitely sure they planned this out, now. After seeing the devious smiles on their faces, it was pretty much confirmed. Why though, that's the biggest question. Did they just wanna fuck with me, or give me more, ahem, 'incentive' to ask her out.

I'm betting on the latter, personally. "We're doing good, Naruto-kun, thanks for asking." Hinata said in her sweet, innocent angel voice. This was gonna be a long fucking lunch...

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV**

* * *

 _September 27th, 12:00 pm._

Now, I'm not usually a stoner to the point to where I do this, but I needed _something_ to kill this pain today before I go to the doc. I had decided to text Tem-chan real quick. Hopefully she's doing ok. We have a date to talk to her parents this weekend, Saturday to be precise. How am I gonna make it out of that alive? Luck, and lots of it. Unfortunately I used a lot of my luck getting away with my assaults last night and not getting caught up by Tsunade.

That woman doesn't know when to just stop. I know she knew that I did it even if there was no proof, and I also know she knew exactly why I did what I did. Don't think she knows about Temari and the baby yet, but I can wait on her finding that out for a good while. She just needs to know when to stay out of peoples personal business. She tries too hard to be the counselor and police in these situations.

Like I'm gonna 'learn my lesson' about beating a kid to a pulp with a day of detention, which she couldn't give. I did, however, get a detention for being late, the fuckin' bitch got one on me. If anything, she's just annoying me even more and making me angrier. But I told myself I wouldn't do it again, not unless it was self-defense or in the defense of my loved ones.

Was that time in the defense of my loved ones? Maybe. I shouldn't have reacted like that, but I did, so there's nothing left to do but move on. I'm not looking forward to my detention Friday before the game against Sound. Thankfully I can still play, even though I know we're gonna beat them. I'm thinking about becoming a switch player.

We need help at the linebacker position, and no one wants to step up. Maybe Coach Jento will help me out. Hopefully that'll help me release a bit more of my anger, and prevent me from going to jail and fucking up an already extremely fucked up situation. It's still a blessing, though, we've created life.

I stomped the joint out and crushed it, scattering it's remains and disposing of the evidence that I was even out here, before heading back in and getting my tray, sitting next to Hinata and Sakura. "Hey guys, how ya doin'?" The girls just looked at me, I know Sakura knew I was high, and so did Hinata apparently if her next statement was anything to go by.

"Ne, we're doing good, just a little _low_." Was it that obvious? I looked into my phone screen, using it as a mirror to look at my eyes, which were bloodshot and my pupils were dilated. Damn, it really _was_ obvious. Hinata giggled, before patting my shoulder. "It'll be ok, Shika, just remember to bring Visine next time, ne?"

Good idea. Nodding, we continued to eat and converse, but for some reason there was a bit, er, tension between Hinata and Naruto. Just what, I don't know. "What do you guys have planned for this weekend?" Of course I was just curious, I already have plans, albeit they're earlier in the day. Maybe we can hang out that night or summin.

"Me and Sasuke were planning on going to that local band showcase, remember?" Oh shit, yea I remember now. We had been planning this since last month. Inojin and his band are playing, that local band that gave Naruto their EP is playing, it's supposed to be a really good show in general.

The show was scheduled to start at seven thirty, and I was meeting Temari at noon, so maybe I'll be done in time. I hope so, but at the same time I wanna spend some time with Temari, what with all of this going on. I doubt she'd be able to go after her parents find out what the situation is, and I might not pending if I make it out of the Suna household.

This was just a big cluster-fuck of shit. "Yea I remember now, I have a little date with Tem-chan at noon but I'm sure I'll be done in time." No need to get their hopes up, but it's not a lie. If I play my cards right I will be done with Temari by six. And if I don't, well, I'll be six foot deep. That's not the most ideal situation, but it's a possibility. I need to tell the guys though, they deserve to know.

Especially if I do end up going missing, at least they'll know why. To them, I've been acting weird today, so that would only make my disappearance just that much more suspicious. Though I have a feeling that the girls know already. The way they looked at me when I mentioned 'date' and 'Tem-chan', they just looked at each other and had a worried look on their face.

Did they know she was pregnant? Or potentially pregnant? Something like that. I know they ate with Temari Saturday night, the night before she told me. She was never the person to share or confide with anyone that wasn't close to her, but they are girls, and these girls aren't just any girls.

After seeing what Sakura has done with Hinata, I don't doubt her skills anymore. Not that I really did in the firs place. "Are you two girls going?" If everything goes right, Temari might be more inclined to go if there's more than one girl there. I definitely wouldn't go anywhere if I was the only dude there.

They both slowly nodded. I'm glad to see Hinata's dad being this cool with her sudden change. "My dad really doesn't care, I think he's secretly glad I'm being more social an shit. Did you know that your dad and mine were beer pong champions?" Now that I think about it, my dad might've mentioned that a time or two. How I didn't remember when I saw those two at the party, I don't know.

"Yea, I remember my dad mentioning it now. Runs in the blood, eh?" Her victory makes more sense now. Could skills like that be transferred genetically? Guess so, and Hina is the first and foremost proof of that. We need a scientifically proven study on this, stat. But I was never that good at it.

Maybe it's cuz I'm too lazy. They think I don't know that I'm lazy, but I do. I've tried to not be so lazy, but to no avail. That runs in my blood too. So do smarts, what with my dad being a premier strategist and aid to the Hokage. I guess if I do get this linebacker position, I'll prove that I don't have to be lazy, I just choose to be. It's so much easier not giving a fuck.

* * *

 _3:15 pm._

The rest of the day went by suspiciously quiet. No more weird looks from the guys, no more tension from the blonde and lavender potential lovers, no texts, no calls. Now I'm just sitting here, in my room, with my two best friends, about to drop a bombshell on em. "So, I know you guys have your questions, and I'm ready, so fire away." I was ready, with my lies and all.

They didn't need the whole truth, and I'm sure they know by now, they're not dumb. "Well the biggest question is what the fuck happened to your hand?" Naruto was the first one to speak up, and quite honestly I expected it. Sasuke is just gonna sit back, observe and wait for me to slip up or say anything suspicious before he butts in.

Sighing, I prepare myself to start from the beginning. "You know how I had that little meeting with Temari Sunday, right? Where she 'wanted to talk.'." They nodded, I knew they remembered. "Well, we met and talked and she was acting all suspicious, like really weird. I thought at first that she cheated 'cuz she was saying things like 'I understand if you don't wanna be with me after this'."

As expected, Naruto chimed in with his two cents. "This is Temari, dude, she doesn't seem like the cheating kind." Well it's true, but if he would just give me a minute, he's get the explanation he needed and wanted oh so badly.

"I know, bro. Thankfully what happened was a lot better, but at the same time a lot worse than her cheating." I started preparing myself to say it, never had I thought I'd be saying these two words. "After digging a bit, she finally spit it out." Well, it's now or never, so here goes. "She's pregnant."

The reaction I got was, well...expected. Naruto started laughing, and Sasuke did too. The latter kinda surprising. "Ah shit, after all the times we joked about wrapping it up and shit, and you're the one that fucked up." Thanks, Naruto, you asshole. "You, the laziest motherfucker we know, got someone pregnant." What does being lazy have to do with me getting someone pregnant?

Sasuke was next to drop his lines. "Ne, dumbass, he was probably too lazy to put on a condom." Am I really that lazy? No, not _that_ lazy. That's just stupidity. Don't know why, but for some reason this was starting to anger me. What was happening to me? Could a simple child change me this much?

Deciding to let them jive at me for a few more minutes, I finally hit my limit. "Oi! That's enough already! Do you guys not understand how serious this is?" They must not, 'cause they barely managed to reel in their laughter after my mini-outburst at them. Having enough, I stood up and walked over to my dresser, grabbing a pre-rolled blunt and lit it.

I guess that caught their attention as they stopped laughing. "C'mon Shika, you know we were gonna have a minute to take the piss outta you." Sure, Sasuke, but this wasn't a minute. More like fifteen minutes. "In all seriousness, what's the deal on this situation? How'd you take it and where do you plan on going from here?".

Good question, Sasuke. It's the million dollar question. "Well, that's how _this_ happened." I shook my broken knuckled hand at them. "I didn't handle it the best way possible at first, and didn't respond to her, so she drove off. After I woke up from my thoughts and what happened, and was pissed at myself and had to hit something, so I did and I broke these knuckles." Hopefully they don't push too much more about it.

Praying they didn't, I closed my eyes. I'd rather not answer a million questions about why, who, where and what. "Was that what happened to Kabuto?" Of course they would ask that, I should've seen it coming. Could I really tell them that I blew my top, went and brutalized someone and put them in the hospital?

Did I have an option? They'd find out eventually. Might as well be from me. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't joke about this, but yes, I went and beat the ever living shit out of Kabuto after getting a decent buzz. I was pissed, drunk and needed someone to hit and I couldn't help but think about how he hurt Hinata by trying to spread lies about her, and I know you like her, so it was like he hurt my family personally."

I studied their looks for a second, and they seemed to agree that this isn't a joke. "It was bad wasn't it?" I nodded my head, waiting for the inevitable question. "But, if you don't mind me asking, how?" Ah, there it is.

Recollecting my memories, I began to retell the story. "Well, I got his number from little Leafbook page and texted him telling him I had a scoop about you, Naruto, and Hinata. Telling him to meet me at the abandoned drug store a few minutes away from the city hall, I pulled in to him waiting. I didn't even give him a chance to speak before getting put of the car and hitting him in the face. I hit him a few more times before telling him not to fuck with us anymore, taking his phone and editing the post and leaving." That was a mouthful, but it needed to be said. "Oh, and I went to the photo-shop dudes house and hit him a few times, for good measure."

They stared at me for a minute, looks of shock, confusion and wondering on them. Naruto, again, was the first one to speak. "Wow, Shikamaru, I, uh, didn't think you had it in you. Not that I'm not grateful you did it, but just...wow." Wow is a good response to this situation.

Everything from that night just started hitting me all at once. I don't cry, _at all_ , especially not in front of them. But I couldn't hold it in anymore as I just sobbed out, pounding my fist into my leg, my good fist albeit but still. "Guys, what the _fuck_ am I supposed to do!?" I cried out, burying my face into my hands as they got dampened by my tears.

Shockingly, there were two extra weights next to me on my bed as they each wrapped an arm around my shoulder, embracing me. "Shika, you're like a brother to each of us, and even if we give you hell, you know we'll be here to stand by you and her each step of the way and support your decisions." My heart felt lighter with the words of Sasuke.

Unfortunately, it just made me cry even more. "Yeah, what Sasuke said, we're gonna be here for you no matter what, and so will Hinata-chan and Sakura. We're brothers, and as such we'll do everything we can to strengthen each other and support each other no matter what life throws our way. And Hinata and Sakura are your sisters by extension."

My tears tapered off to just a sniffle, Before I let out a little laugh. "What a fucked up family then." They just stared at me for a second, before joining me as we all shared a good laugh, before launching into a conversation about how I'm gonna handle the parents and my own parents. "Well, her parents are gonna be hard, just need to hope I make it out alive."

"Ne, I wouldn't be surprised if papa Sabaku didn't castrate your ass then and there." I don't doubt it either, Naruto, but I'm hoping they take it well. For my sake and hers. "And your parents of course are gonna be disappointed but I know they'll be there for you too." Well, yea they'll be disappointed, but I know they'll be there too, if not just for me.

I finished off the blunt, coughing a bit. "Meh, I ain't worried about my parents too much. So Saturday it's lunch with Temari, her parents, mine if I survive and then the show. If all goes well, good, if not, well lets go fuck some shit up in the pit." Either way, we would. "Hey, did I tell you that imma try to be a switch player and play linebacker?"

That shocked them again, before they laughed. "Ne so you decided not to be lazy for once, that's great! We'll need to go talk to coach Jento real quick then. Wanna take my car?" True, with luck I'll be ready by Friday. "If he says yea we can get the defense playbook and study it together." Both me and Sasuke agreed, before heading to Naruto's car and heading out, jamming and laughing.

And in that moment, I felt like we were actually _brothers_. It felt _good_...

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _September 27th, 6:00 pm._

I hated boring Mondays, but finding a Monday that isn't boring is harder than getting Ino to stop snooping in on other peoples business. Today was a slow, _slow_ day after school. But I can't help but giggle when thinking of Naruto-kun's face when he saw that picture of me in the lingerie. Can't believe I went through with Sakura and her scheming to get me and him together.

But it seemed to be working, 'cuz he's been texting me all day since then and talking to me about himself and Shikamaru moving to linebacker. Good for him, he needs a bit of PE. All that marijuana will eventually make him too lazy to do anything, like pay attention to Temari.

Speaking of the blonde haired Suna girl, when I brought her up, Naruto seemed to want to sweep the topic under the rug. Did something happen between them with the pregnancy scare? I need some girl advice on this. Two minds are better than one, supposedly.

 _"Ne Sakura, when I was texting Naruto about an hour ago, I brought up Temari and he seemed to not wanna talk about it. Do you know if anything happened between Shikamaru and her with the pregnancy scare?"_

Send. And wait. My dad had texted me and said he's working late tonight so I just ordered pizza for me and Hanabi. She was bathing right now, so I decided to head to my closet, grabbing the box of joy. And hurt. But mostly joy. I think. It's a to be determined thing, but that's besides the point. I opened it up, and inspected my needles before prepping them.

What I didn't remember, however, is that I broke one of them on accident, and the other wasn't anywhere near good to use. This, naturally pissed me off, so much so that I ended up punching my body mirror attached to my closet door in frustration. Cursing while looking at my cut, bloody knuckles, I picked a few tiny shards of glass out of them, before picking up the big pieces from the floor.

Then I smiled, an idea popping into my head. I looked at an almost perfectly square piece of mirror, before setting it on my dresser, throwing the other pieces away and wrapping up my hand. Returning to the mirror, I cleaned it before dumping a bit of light brown, floury powder on it, forming a few lines of it with my credit card.

Last time I got high, I was so high I forgot to put music on. Silly me, but silly me isn't gonna make that mistake again. Putting my music on shuffle and returning to my mirror/smack combo, I grab a straw from a cup of water I had earlier and cut a piece of it off, making sure it was dry. Then I put it up to the first line, sticking the other end in my nose and inhaling sharply, snorting the drugs into my nose.

And it burned like a _motherfucker_. Sure, I've done it once or twice before, but usually it's mainlining for me. The rush wasn't as good as it, but it'll have to do, and I'll make up for it by doing more. The next two lines went rather smoothly as it set in more and more now, before I undress into just my panties and a tee shirt, settling into bed.

Of course I wasn't gonna sleep just yet, it's barely past six pm. One of my all-time favorite songs was Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd, naturally. It was so fitting, it defined this situation perfectly. I was indeed _comfortably numb_.

 _Hello, is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me, is there anyone home?_

Not really, no. Isn't that the point of doing drugs? To get away from yourself and everything and just... _fly_...

 _Come on, now, I hear you're feeling, down. I can ease your pain, get you on your feet again._

Feeling down? Maybe not so much anymore. What do I have to be sad about? Besides crippling anxiety, depression at the loss of my mother and the subsequent unanswered questions and lack of female companionship and guidance that I haven't had until a week ago, and that ended up turning sexual really, _really_ quick.

 _Okay, just a little pinprick. There'll be no more 'ahhhhhhhhh'. But you may feel a little sick._

No shit, Sherlock. I kinda expect it by now. What I wasn't expecting, however, was my phone to start ringing. Squinting my eyes at the screen, I make out Sakura's name and sigh, before answering it. "Hey 'Kura-chan, what's up?" Good question. We hardly ever called each other.

 _"Hey 'Nata-chan, just seeing what you were up to. I'm over by your place, thought maybe you'd wanna hang out and talk about the Temari thing for a little bit."_ Ah, fuck. I'm higher than shit, but if I say no then it'll be suspicious. What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm not a good liar, so that isn't much of an option.

I cursed to myself, before conceding to defeat. "Yea, I'd love to, just come in when you get here, my room is upstairs, first door to the left." Now, I had a few minutes maybe to sober up just a bit and hide my box of joy. Or hurt. I'm not doing this shit again. I stood up and threw a pair of sweatpants on, tying my hair up and stuffing the box under my dirty clothes.

It was about six-thirty when she walked in my room, my black-out curtains drawn shut, it pretty much pitch black in here except for my candles that were lit. If it wasn't obvious that I was flying by that, of course I left my playlist of chill songs on, and another numb song was playing. Numb, by Linkin Park, to be specific. "Damn, Hinata, living life in the dark?"

Ha, very funny, Sakura. "I like it when it's dark in here, it's all chill and comfy, yano?" I doubt she did, but oh well. I was sitting up against my headboard, my knees tucked into my chest as she moved over to the other side of my bed, mimicking me. "So, what do you think of this?" Handing her my phone and letting her look at the texts, I waited for her deciphering.

She knew Naruto a lot more than me, so if anyone could decipher when he's acting like this, it's her. Or Sasuke. Or Shikamaru. But I cant go directly to the horses mouth this time. "Ah, well, I know when he's acting like this, it's usually he's hiding something big, usually important. Something he's still not sure on how he feels about it yet."

Makes sense to me. "I figured as much, he didn't seem like the kind to hide important things from people with no reason." I think Naruto is a bit too nice and sweet for his own good sometimes. "So do you think something happened with Shika and Temari, or could it be something else?" What else could it be, though?

"I'm not sure, unless she really is pregnant. The only way to find out is when they're ready to talk." Is it bad that I really wanna know? Enough to potentially try to sway or coerce someone into saying something? "I mean, you saw the way she was acting that night, and the way she left, I don't know...it would suck though." It would.

But what can you do? Abortion is never the answer, it's basically murder. "Do you think she'd tell us?" It was worth a shot anyways. As long as we didn't push her too much. Sakura shrugged, before dialing her number. It rang a few times before the blondes voice came over the other end of the phone, with a simple hello. "Hey Tem-chan, it's me and Sakura."

 _"Oh, hey guys, whatcha need?"_ Need? Nothing. Want? Well, answers. Now to commence the tedious and cautious plan.

"We just wanted to know how your talk with Shika went, and if he took it well. He was acting weird at school today and he apparently broke a few knuckles last night, maybe you know something about it." Nicely worded, 'Kura.

There was silence on her end, for just a few seconds, before she sighed deeply. _"I guess if anyone should know, it's you guys. Since I lied to your faces."_ Lied to our faces? Could this really be what we were thinking/fearing? _"That night, I ended up testing positive. Just, I was scared, and I still am. To answer your question about Shikamaru, he didn't take it the best way at first, but after he cooled off, he was understanding."_

What're the odds, we were right. "Wow, I'm really sorry to hear that, but I am glad he came around. What about his hand, though?" Shika breaking something isn't anything they expected, so neither did I. Apparently he's really careful when it came to things. Except sex, obviously.

Okay, that was wrong, but I get at least one. I'm sure the boys have already gave him hell. _"Well, he doesn't want a lot of people knowing, so you'll just have to wait till he tells you, which will be soon. I already told him to tell Naruto and you, since it kinda pertains to you two."_ Pertains to us? How?

That was when the text came in, and it was quite the doozy to read, especially when high. Me and Sakura eyed it, reading over it's contents as our eyes widened. He had texted me a full explanation of what happened, and like the boys we were shocked. Apparently they were shocked, according to Shikamaru. Before they naturally took the piss outta him.

Boys, they're almost always the same. "Well, I'm shocked he did that, but flattered he feels so highly of me that he'd do that. Let alone think of me as his sister." I've always wanted a brother, though, I can't complain. He'll make a good brother alongside Sasuke and Naruto. Ok, not Naruto, he's something more to me. What, though, is to be determined fully.

 _"You're telling me, in the two years we've been talking and year or so of dating, he's never been violent. Everyone reaches their boiling pint eventually, just sucks it had to be me."_ From what his text is telling me, it was more like he was pissed at himself. _"Now we gotta deal with mine and his parents Saturday, and that'll be a_ blast _"_

"Oh I know his parents will take it well. Er, as well as they can, but still pretty well compared to others." I'm praying that you're right, Sakura. It's already a kinda shit situation, any more stress and it could be too much. "What about your parents? Are they gonna take it well?"

Temari simply laughed, before we audibly heard her shake her head no. _"Uh, no fucking way. They won't harm me, but I can't guarantee Shika-kun's safety."_ She went on about how her father was the Kazekage. And in that moment, my heart dropped for Shikamaru. Castration seems likely. _"But in all honesty, they'll be mad, yea, but they'll know it wasn't just Shika's fault. It takes two to tango."_

"True, but I wish you all the best and pray that Shikamaru doesn't lose an important reproductive organ Saturday. But we have something to get to, bye Temari!" Me and Sakura wished her a goodbye, before she reciprocated the farewell, hanging up and leaving me and Sakura in our own thoughts.

She had looked me dead in the eyes, and stared for a minute. "Well, this sucks for Shika, but I have faith he'll handle it the best way he can, he's a smart-hey, what's up with your eyes, they seem a bit...droopy." It was at this moment that I praised god that my family has a condition that makes you lack pupils, 'cuz they'd be pinned as fuck. Droopy, though, is not a hereditary compliment.

After all of our talking, with each other and Temari, I'm rather surprised she hasn't noticed my slurry speech and relaxed demeanor. Well, more relaxed than usual. "I'm...tired?" Fucking hell, I need to get better at lying. It's only once in a blue moon I tell a really good and convincing lie. This, unfortunately, is not one of those times.

As fate would have it, it's when I don't need to lie that I can, and when I need to, I can't. "Ha, bullshit, you can't fool me 'Nata. Come on, what's up?" Do people not realize that maybe, just maybe, sometimes you don't want the answers to the questions you're asking. Obviously not, 'cuz we all still do it. Hell, we kinda did it with Temari. It wasn't the worst thing that coulda happened, though.

Quick, Hinata, think! "Uh...er, I'm kinda, possibly, potentially, maybe, perhaps a little bit high right now." Better than saying 'hey, I'm a dope-head!' but it wasn't the best response. Of course she's not gonna take it and just drop it. A woman can dream, though.

"High on...?" The question lingered on the air, waiting for me to fill in the blanks. And like a deer in the headlights, I was caught, petrified on spot. She knew it wasn't weed, she smokes it quite frequently, and it's not coke or anything 'cuz I'm chill and mellow. Not any hallucinogens, I'm not tripping balls, so what could I tell her? It's not easy to just up and say it.

I looked around for a minute, trying to think of any loophole or lie I could possibly think of to escape from this situation unharmed mentally, and with my secrets intact. Fate, however, decided to be nice to me and interrupt us with a phone call from her mom, calling her home to do...something. That's all she said. _Something_. What that is, I don't know.

And, once more, do I wanna know? Of course I do. She's like a sister to me. Well, lover turned sister. Ugh, I can't think about someone as a sister to me after we shared the same bed together in love and ecstasy. Lots and lots of pure, uncensored _ecstasy._ We need to get laid, the both of us. But she has Sasuke, so that seems more likely than me.

Unless I seduced Naruto. Possible, yes, but could I do that to the man I cared about and who cared about me? Chances are, no, but what happens will happen. And that's the truth, with some cheese on it, deluxe with pepperoni. Did we have any pizza leftover? I hope so, I need some food and some more drugs, and then a bath, and then some sleep.

Can't guarantee that there won't be any certain _illicit activities_ going on in between, but I digress.

Still, that _something_ is bothering me. Maybe Naruto has some answers for my always wandering mind.

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV** ( **A/N** : As a forewarning, this next part is going to be a pretty dark part.)

* * *

 _September 27th, 7:15 pm._

 **O.O.O.O.O.O**

I pulled into the drive of my home, texting Sasuke to tell him that I can't do our usual phone call tonight. He, naturally, asked why, but I gave him the same answer I gave Hinata. I have to do _something._ This didn't happen often, but it was often enough. I couldn't go in yet, sitting in my car and listening to some music, letting a tear or two fall, before I saw my mother head out of the house.

She walked up to the car, as I turned it off and stuffed the keys in my pocket. Ripping my door open, she looked around to see if there was anyone watching, before grabbing me by my hair and yanking me out of the car. "C'mon, slut, me and your dad have been waiting all day for you to get home." I hissed in pain as she dragged me into the house.

Knowing better than to open my mouth in protest, I kept it shut. I learned from my mistakes of the past, and it only leads to more pain and more suffering. "You know how... _antsy_ he gets when he has to wait, your father." Yea, don't fucking remind me, mother. The stupid dick likes his women obedient.

Isn't that why you open your legs for him whenever he wants a good fuck, ma? Then when you're not enough, he goes and fucks who or whatever he wants. Is that the life that I'm headed towards? I really don't see this getting any better, to be honest. It's gonna take a miracle to break this vicious cycle of beatings. There's a silver lining though.

He hasn't raped me. _Yet_. It's something I can see the sick bastard doing. I shouldn't be thinking about it, but it's hard not to, especially when I get dumped in front of him like my mom just did just now, a piece of meat for him to abuse whenever he's had a tough day at work. "You already know what to do." He was a man of few words.

Like usual, I dropped my pants to the floor, bending over the couch as I heard the belt slide out of his pants. Was today special, or something? Normally he started with his hand, not belt. I didn't even wince anymore as he struck me with it, my skin numb to the feeling of leather striking it. "I'm glad to see you're being more obedient, but tonight is the real test."

What he meant by that worried me, but I persevered through the beating, but what happened next, however, was the night that I had feared would come the most. He had fully taken his pants off, which that in and of itself wasn't a shock, I've seen him naked before many a time. "It's time to see just how much of a slut my daughter really is." With those words, my heart dropped.

Tonight was really the night, and I couldn't even fight it. I felt my mom approach me from behind, trusting a piece of cloth into my mouth and tying it behind my head. "Can't have you screaming now, ne?" Sasuke, please, help me...as unlikely as it is, I need you right now.

My dad, no, my _attacker_ ripped my shirt off, my bra following suit as I sat here, bent over and bared. I almost threw up in my mouth as his gravelly hands ran over my breasts, feeling them and groping them. I couldn't help it as I silently started crying, tears dripping down my face. "Don't cry, you know you want this."

No, I don't, _father._ But what choice do I have? My breathing picked up as he leaned into me, his hard erection pressing into my cheeks. I was relieved when he moved away, sitting down on the couch, before my mother forced me to my knees. I knew what they wanted me to do, as they untied the cloth. I gripped his dick gently, pumping it and licking the tip.

I took it fully into my mouth, closing my eyes and trying to pretend that this was someone else, before I felt a slap across my face. "Look daddy in the eyes when you're sucking his cock, whore." Well, there goes that. I knew my dad was an easy finish, it didn't take him long before he blew his load and we moved on, hopefully ending this dreaded nightmare.

As expected, he released his bastard seed in my mouth, watching to make sure I swallowed it all before he stood up, patting my head. For some reason, they decided to give me a thirty minute break before the 'main event' started. I needed to text Sasuke, which I did, telling him to come pick me up immediately, and to hurry. If he did, he'd make it just in time.

 _*buzz* "What's wrong? I'm just down the road so I'll be there in maybe ten minutes."_

Phew, okay, now how do I get away from my dad? I'd have to think fast, he was coming down the hall and to my room. Opening my door, I saw the sickening smile of my attacker. "I changed my mind, your mother is too much of a whore tonight. Let's do this now."

Fuck. I whimpered as he forced me onto my back, spreading my legs and tearing my panties down my legs, before placing himself between my legs. He grabbed me by my throat, smiling as he issued a simple statement. "Make a noise, and you're as good as dead." I had no doubt he'd follow through with his threats too.

And then it happened. Headlights shone through my window. It appears my savior has arrived just in time. He dismounted from me, hurriedly running to his room and throwing his pants on. "Well then, I'll have to take care of our little guest then I guess." Naturally that meant he's gonna go grab his gun. I jumped up after he left, throwing my clothes back on.

 **O.O.O.O.O.O**

Quickly packing a bag of clothes, I threw it out the window, before hopping out myself, remembering to grab my phone from the windowsill. There he was, my savior in his black car, looking at me weird as I hopped in his car, throwing my bag into the backseat. "Drive, now Sasuke!" Sensing my urgency, he threw it into gear and sped off, before my dad/attacker could get a shot off.

After we got a minute down the road, Sasuke looked at me as we sat at a red light. "Sakura." I flinched a his stern tone. "What the _fuck_ was that?" Please, don't be like this right now, Sasuke..."If you pissed your parents off, you could've at least told me and you coulda snuck out."

Oh boy, if only it was that simple. "Please, can I just explain when we get to your place." I pleaded with him, hoping he would budge at my pleading tone. Which he did, just shrugging as we drove quietly, neither of us knowing what exactly to say. Once we got to his house, I grabbed my stuff and took it to his room, before sitting on the bed.

He calmly stared at me, waiting for me to budge. When I didn't, he sighed. "Look, 'Kura-chan, you have to share with me so I can help." He's not wrong, there's nothing he can do about anything till he knows what's wrong. Just, I don't know exactly how to put this. "I'm not mad that you had me do this, and I know my mom doesn't care, just tell me, please."

Tears formed in my eyes as I started my explanation. "Sasuke-kun...for the longest time, and no one knows this, my parents have been abusive towards me. Mentally, but recently its gotten physical." I paused to gauge his reaction, which was his normal stoic thinking face. "And...and tonight, it went too far. I was with Hinata when they called me to come home. I knew what they wanted, and I couldn't tell them no. It was the usual spanking with the belt, but then..."

I couldn't hold the tears in as I started sobbing, feeling a little better as Sasuke sat next to me and put his arm around me, dabbing at my tears with a napkin. "It's ok, you can continue whenever you're ready love."

After a few minutes, the tears had run their course as a numb feeling washed over me, tonight's events setting in. "He made me give him a blowjob." I felt him go tense, probably with anger, as he started huffing. "That's not the worst part, if you hadn't pulled up when you did, he was about to r-rape me." At this revelation, he stoop up swiftly and punched his closet door, putting his fist through it.

He looked me in the eye, as I saw the anger ever-present in them. "He did _what_?" Knowing he heard me right, he leaned head against the door he just assaulted, trying to cool himself off. "Sakura, give me one good reason not to go over there right now and kick that sick mothefucker's ass."

"Because, you don't wanna share with Naruto and Shikamaru?" It was the best reason I could think of. Deep down, this was still my dad. "I don't know when my dad changed, but he was a sweet man, Sasuke-kun." Was I really sitting here defending my assaulter? He had every reason to go over there and end the pitiful excuse of a man. I don't blame him at all.

Surprising me, he walked up to me and kissed me as deep and passionately as he could. It felt like fireworks were going off in my head as I melted into him, forgetting what had just happened temporarily. We breathed out as he broke the kiss. "I don't agree with your reasoning right now, but I'll hold off, just for you."

With him being so sweet, it just made me start crying again, as I leapt up and hugged onto him. "I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun." I cried into his shirt as he held me, rubbing my back and shushing me quietly, telling me its gonna be ok. "What did I do to deserve you?" It was an honest question, after the past and everything, for him to be like this with me is astonishing.

He laid me down, turning the light off and lighting his candles before laying in bed with me, hugging me into him as the tears kept coming. "No, what did _I_ do to deserve you. You were always there for me, and now I'm gonna be here for you."

We had laid there for a few hours, as we embraced each other. I started to drift off to sleep, barely managing to whisper out "Sasuke-kun...I love you...".

"I love you too, Sakura-chan, get some rest baby." He kissed the top of my head, pulling me in closer as I flew off into sleep, feeling protected with him.

The big question laid dormant, though. What would tomorrow hold for me?

* * *

 **A/N:** MAN, that got dark as fuck towards the end. Again, it was needed though. To cement her parents as the bad people they are and to further Sakura and Sasuke's relationship. But overall, this chapter took me longer to write because I lost a day of writing due to being sick and missing work and having things to do another day. But I hope y'all enjoy and, as usual, review/follow/favorite if you feel so obliged. Ja ne!


	6. Fix

**A/N:** So, this is _kind of_ a slow chapter, but it has a lot of progression in it. Chapter seven will begin on the morning of the concert, on the second of October. If anyone is wondering, I'm running off the 2010 calendar because I wanted to pick a random year and...nah, it's because I didn't realize the mistake I made in planning the dates for the story in the beginning and can't fix it. Oh well, onwards and enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own the lyrics in this chapter besides the ones in the recording scene, the others belong to Metallica and Cradle Of Filth, respectively.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV**

* * *

 _September 28th, 6:15 am._

Fluttering awake, I was relieved to wake up to...a mess of pink hair in my face. Joy. But it meant she stayed, and for that I was happy. The memories of last night quickly flooded my head, which re-angered me, but then Sakura started stirring, which calmed me down again. I had the girl I love on bed with me, I can't be mad right now. She opened her eyes slowly, before looking at me.

I smiled, kissing her forehead gently. "Good morning, 'Kura-hime." She smiled back at me, before frowning and letting a tear roll down her face. Wiping it from her face with my finger, she pulled me into her as she buried her face into my chest, softly crying. "Hey, its ok, I'm still here love. Don't cry."

This continued on for a few minutes before she stopped, pulling back and sniffling. "I know, 'Suke-kun, that's why I'm crying. Well, that and what happened before, but I was just happy to wake up next to my big prince." Big prince, eh? I could get used to that. Just like I could get used to waking up to more pink hair in my face. In reality, it wasn't that bad, at least it smells good.

"And I'm happy to wake up next to my hime, my princess." I kissed her softly on the lips before standing up, opening the door to my closet to get my school clothes. "I need to shower, do you? If so I'll let you go first so there's enough hot water." It was only the nice thing to do. After last night, I'm sure she wants a good, hot shower to relax herself in.

She nodded, picking her clothes for the day out of her bag and heading off to the shower. I heard the shower kick on, as I just laid back down, thinking about last night and where to go with this. As usual, my mom would know. She needed to know, and though I felt bad for talking about this without Sakura's permission, it needed to be done. She'd never give me permission, at least not for a while.

Knocking softly on my moms door, she hollers for me to come in. She was sitting at her desk, looking over paperwork. Working at Uzu-tech as an accountant wasn't an easy job, but it paid. "Ne, what's up Sasuke-kun?" I sighed before sitting on her bed, preparing myself for this.

Putting my head in my hands, I began. "Mom, I need advice. As you know, Sakura's here. I'm sure you saw me with her last night." She nodded. "Well, she had a... _issue_ with her parents last night. She told me they've been abusive for the longest time and last night her father took it too far and tried to...well, rape her." I saw the look on my moms face, and it went from anger, to worry real quick.

Sighing, she looked at me. "Now you know I wouldn't have been mad anyways, but I'm definitely not now hearing the reason. Where is Sakura now?" I pointed out of the door, to the restroom right across from my moms room. Then she got a panicky look on her face. "Sasuke, after something like that you can't leave a girl alone on the shower!"

Standing, I looked my mom in the yes. "What? Why not?" Why wouldn't I want to leave her alone after last night? Oh...shit. Before my mom had a chance to answer me I bolted out of the room to the bathroom and wiggled the door handle, finding it locked. "Sakura-chan, hey, let me in." I couldn't hear much besides water and her sobbing quietly, as to not let me know.

My mom walked up to the door, a butter knife from her breakfast in hand and jimmied the door open, waving me in. "Sasuke, remember, go easy. But when you need to be, be firm." She whispered to me, as I curtly nodded, heading in. I took a seat on the toilet, sitting there for a second as it set in.

"'Kura-chan, what's wrong, please talk to me." She didn't talk, just cried, which was worrying me. What was I supposed to do? My mom said be firm, but how firm? "Baby, if you don't talk to me, I'm gonna have to come in there with you." I'm not sure how that was gonna help, it was against her wishes, like something else that happened last night...but I had no other choice.

Quickly running back to my room and grabbing my clothes, I set them on the bathroom counter, the bathroom getting steamier by the second. "Sakura, I have no other choice but to come in there with you." I peeled the curtain back, and what I saw just made me hate her parents even more. _Hate_ her parents. A deep, _deep_ hatred. Not schoolyard hate.

She was sitting there, crying, scrubbing her arms and body raw with soap. When she looked at me, with her broken, sad, tormented eyes, I almost cried myself, only letting a single tear drop. "S-Sasuke...n-no matter h-h-how much I scrub, I'm s-still d-dirty..." I understand now what my mom said. Being in the company of others, you can't act on any thoughts you've had.

But now, in the lonesome, all you have are your thoughts. "S-Sakura, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone." She just stared at me, still softly crying, before she patted the tub in front of her, motioning for me to join her. "Are you sure? I'll get in there with you if you really want me to."

Nodding, she scooted back, giving me ample room as I stripped, stepping into the tub with her, letting the water hit my back. "I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun...I don't know what came over me. But hey, we've seen each other naked now." Laughing with her, I smiled at her. "I know I'll be ok, just it's gonna take some time. But I have my dark haired prince to help me."

I leaned in and kissed her, a brief kiss. "Yes, always. I'll always be there for my pink haired princess." She smiled, before standing up. "Well, at least I'm here to help you wash your back and hair like all those married couples talk about." I said, standing up grabbing the shampoo as she turned around. Wincing at the sight of her bruises from the belt, she turned her head and looked at me.

"It's not as bad as it could've been, 'Suke-kun." True, but it shouldn't have happened at all. Pouring some shampoo into my hand, I started massaging it into her hair, soaping it up before she took a step back, bumping her butt into, well...little Sasuke, which woke him up. "Oops, is someone a little excited?" She giggled, making me blush. Don't know why, but I had a bad feeling while rinsing her hair out.

 **O.O.O.O.O.O**

We weren't about to do this, were we? I found my answer rather quickly as she turned around and kissed me, trailing her hand down my stomach and to my waistline, gripping my erection, pumping it slowly. "S-Sakura, w-we don't have to d-do this." I groaned out. With what happened last night, you'd think she'd be off put by sexual activities.

She just ignored me, slipping her tongue in my mouth as she continued the work on my cock. How could I tell her no? "Want to." She breathed out between kisses. "Need to." Need to? We never _need_ to have sex, especially not in the shower the morning after something like last night.

Deciding that this was enough, I needed answers. Breaking the kiss, I looked at Sakura. ""Kura-chan, what do you mean we 'need to'." Putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, I continue. "I can understand wanting to, but we don't _need_ to do this. I want to, but this isn't the right time to do this. I want it to special, you feel me?" Ugh, shouldn't have used 'you feel me' in this situation.

But it seemed she understood, smiling softly and nodding. "I understand, 'Suke, but that doesn't mean that I can't give you a little... _present_." Present? What? Oh, woops. I got it. She sunk to her knees, taking a look at my rock hard member, licking the tip of it teasingly, causing me to moan and give a little shudder.

As far as I knew, she was a virgin, so how was she good at this? "O-ok, if you want to I'm not gonna say no." It wasn't a lie, I wasn't gonna ask for this but I'm not gonna deny it. Though she was driving me crazy with her teasing, kissing the tip softly and running her tongue around it while gently fondling my balls.

I'm assuming she sensed it too, my brain fluttering with pleasure. She put the head in her mouth, sucking and creating a bit of pressure as she used her hand to pump the shaft of my cock. Finally, after a few minutes of this treatment, she started bobbing her head, slowly at first, barely making it halfway down my decently above-average 7" member.

Picking up speed, she started going down deeper and deeper, hitting the base with relative ease, all while I subconsciously grabbed her hair and aided her path. Grabbing my lower back and ass with her hands, she took all of my cock in her mouth, down to the base, holding it there for a few seconds, till she started gently bobbing, the tip of my cock hitting her throat.

I had just about had enough, letting her know. "Sakura-chan, I'm gonna cum soon." I barely managed to moan out, to which she replied by moving her lips back to the tip, focusing on just the head, licking and quickly sucking as I edged closer to my limit. And then it came, just as she buried my cock into her mouth, taking all of my cum in her mouth and swallowing.

She leaned back onto her knees and looked up at me, smiling. "Ne, 'Suke-kun, was that good?" Girl, did you really have to ask? Judging by the look on my face, yes. Yes I did. Standing up, she turned around real quick, hitting my semi-erect member with her ass, making it twinge again. Did she really have to tease me?

 **O.O.O.O.O.O**

I turned her around, kissing her deeply on the mouth. "Of course I did, I loved it 'Kura-hime." Fuck it, I don't care if her mouth was just on my dick. I need me some Sakura kisses. We made out for a few minutes before realizing we had school, and needed to get ready.

Today was gonna be a beautiful day.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _September 28th, 7:15 am._

Couldn't sleep last night. Don't wanna be here. Bad dreams. Need coffee. Or drugs.

Preferably the lattermost one. Here I sat, early to school as usual, in my car listening to music. Abusing nicotine and chopping up a few lines. I'm glad Naruto got me into Metallica. They really did help me coast along. Especially this song.

 _I can't remember anything/Can't tell if this is true or a dream._

One. It was such a driving thrash metal ballad, damn near eight minutes long too. Eight minutes of pure, awesome metal. When did I get into metal, anyways? My dad always loved classical music, but I know he had a 'secret' collection of old eighties records like Boston and Kansas. My sister, however, is into the bubble-gum pop and rap. It's the 'in' thing.

 _Darkness, imprisoning me. All that I see, absolute horror. How can I live? How can I die?_

I loved that part, when it went from slow and somber to fast and thrash. Where was I? Oh yeah, my beginnings as a metal-head. It must've been when I was about thirteen, going through puberty and looking for a way to express myself. So my dad got me an acoustic guitar. I started learning classical, but it bored me and didn't fit me well, shockingly.

Shockingly 'cuz I'm a quiet, soft soul. But I wanted...more brashness. So I started playing Zeppelin, Journey, Linkin Park. Lyrically, I wanted more than just 'I do drugs, I'm so cool, look at me, I fit in'. And the more I delved into the genres and subgenres, I found more substance than just the cool, 'in-crowd' stuff that we're told is cool and hip.

Moreover, I started talking to people like me online that felt the same way, and they shared with me the artists, songs and genres that fit them so well. System Of A Down was one of my favorites that someone from Sound Institute introduced me to. And the Deftones. Which is one of my favorite get-high-to bands.

Knowing Naruto's music tastes, he's gonna give me a death metal record next. Or deathcore. I know he loves Cradle Of Filth, he sent me a link to a song of theirs but I never got around to listening to it. No time like the present though. Apparently it was called 'Nyphetamine Fix'. Not the best of titles, but I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, or a song by its title.

I was greeted by the opening choir singing, before the guitars started chugging, with a calm, flowing rhythm in the background. Then the girl vocalist started singing, and I could tell why he was hooked.

 _Lead to the river, midsummer I waved. A 'V' of black swans on with hope to the grave._

Man, her voice was enchanting to say the least. I leaned back in my front seat, after snorting the few small lines I had and let the song flow on.

 _Cold was my soul, untold was the pain. I faced when you left me a rose in the rain._

Even the screams were enchanting and heavenly, balanced between the almost operatic voice of the girl. I guess it's time to open my tastes a bit more.

 _Bared on your tomb, I'm a prayer for your loneliness. And would you ever soon come above unto me?_

I didn't even hear Naruto and his car pull up next to me, nor did I notice him get in my passenger seat, slowly bobbing his head to the song as well. "Six feet deep is the incision, in my heart that bar-less prison." He mimicked the screams perfectly, making me jump up and hit my head on the roof of my Jeep. When did he learn to do that?

He laughed at me before patting my shoulder gently. "Oi, asshole. When did you learn to scream?" I looked him in the eye, trying to give him my best angry or annoyed face, but I failed apparently, making him laugh even more before pulling me in to a hug.

"Ne, Hinata-chan, you need to work on your angry face. It's not too convincing." He stated, causing me to scoff as he lit up a cigarette, leaning back in the passenger seat. "And to answer the question of when, well, a while back. I can't remember exactly when but it's been a few years. I was inspired by the very band you're listening to, because they're bomb."

Huh, well if that's not a good reason then I don't know what is. "You haven't tried being in a band?" Good question, obviously, as he seemed to be deep in thought, trying to find the answer to my question.

Thinking for about a minute, he broke from his trance, smiling ever-so-slightly. "I've tried before, but trying to find a group of people that jive with me and aren't idiots is difficult, so I went solo. I have an electric guitar, bass and drum machine plus a recording set up in my garage, just I've been delaying on recording my first EP."

Yea, Konoha hasn't been known for the best music scene. A lot of the locals here have split because of differences. "I understand, from what I've heard the musicians from around here are dicks." Laughing, he just nodded his head slightly, agreeing with me. "But that's cool! What genre are you doing? Death metal?" If I was right, probably death metal or something around that

He surprised me when he shook his head no, reaching into his bag and grabbing another CD, tossing it to me. "Hardcore, my first love." It was a Terror CD, 'One With The Underdogs'. "It was the album that got me into the genre, and after seeing them live and being around the people, I fell in love with the genre." Someone once told me hardcore fans were super nice.

That is, however, if you're not in the pit with them. They get rowdy, apparently. But they have a 'code', and what that is, I don't know. "Ne, do you happen to know what the 'code' is?" If anyone would know or tell me, it'd be Naruto.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, he began. "Well, to me its four things. One, stand by your friends and family and stick tight to them, no matter the cost. Two, stand up for what you believe in and give everything you do one hundred percent. Three, always keep your word and never go back on a promise. And four is always own up to your mistakes and take responsibility for them, no excuses, no bullshit."

After he finished his mouthful, I sat there thinking about what he said, wowed by it. "Wow, that's amazing. You gonna take me to my first hardcore show?" I smiled at him, grabbing the mirror from my dash and preparing a few more lines.

Giving me a thumbs up while grinning, he stares at the mirror. "Of course, 'Nata-chan. You mind if I do some?"

Of course not. "I thought you'd never ask." I passed the mirror to him, as we got spun before school...

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV**

* * *

 _September 28th, 12:00 pm._

Everyone says that they hate Mondays, but I quite dislike Tuesdays more than the other days. Why, you may ask, well its simply because this is the day when most of our meetings go on. Mondays are my paperwork days in which I can sit reclusive in my office and scribble away while listening to music. But no, Tuesdays I'm forced to interact with people.

Some of the most annoying people, too. Politicians, military figures, other company heads. The scoundrels, all of them. Thankfully, now its my lunchtime, and I have a _hot_ date. Mikoto-chan. I loved that woman to death, thick and thin. "Hey, Mikoto!" I set my lunch down on the table that she had been sitting at.

Instantly I knew something was up with her. She was studying, while eating. That and she seemed very distressed. "Hey, 'Shina. What do you know about the Haruno family?" Haruno family? That's Sakura's family. Well, the three of them. I know that they have problems, but nothing major.

"Ne, I know that's Sakura's family, and she's dating Sasuke, so...you trying to scout their family to see if she's good for him?" I laughed and lightly punched Mikoto on the shoulder, before turning serious once I saw her unamused face. "Ok, ok, I'm serious now. What's bothering you, 'Koto-chan?"

She sighed deeply, rubbing her eyes with her hands. "Last night, Sasuke had been out with Naruto and Shikamaru helping Shikamaru study the playbooks, apparently he's decided to pick up an extra position on the field." This decently surprised me. "But, that's another story. While he was out Sakura texted him saying she needed someone to come get her asap."

The more I thought about it, Naruto did mention that Sasuke had to split for some reason, not giving me a reason. "Yea, I remember Naruto said something about that, but he never told me why Sasuke left." I grabbed my sandwich, taking a bite out of it and washing it down with some tea.

Beginning to flick through her papers again, she continued. "He never gave them a reason, he just needed to go. And I'm glad he did. I had been asleep when he got home but when I got up at six I noticed them in bed together, deciding to wait till he got up to get the answers as to why." She took a deep breath, preparing to drop the bombshell. "When he got up, he said that for a while now, Sakura's parents, Kizashi and Natsuko Haruno had been abusing her and last night her father attempted to take it too far."

Take it too far? She couldn't mean..."He didn't try to, yano, rape her, did he?" I looked to her for a shake of her head, but was greeted instead by her nodding, causing me to not only feel really sad for the poor girl, but I also had a surge of unadulterated anger flowing through me. "That...bastard!" Slamming my hand on the table, I took a few breaths to calm down.

Mikoto pushed over the papers to me, allowing me to take a look at them. "Kizashi Haruno, forty-two years old, is a general contract labor manager for the biggest labor company in Konoha. Natsuko Haruno, forty-one years old, is a lawyer for the biggest law firm in Konoha. What does this all mean?" I said after finishing reading out loud.

Motioning for me to continue reading, I did, finding the rest to be quite...shocking. "Natsuko has been a part of defending many rapists using any means or excuses necessary to win her cases. Kizashi, on the other hand, has been on the receiving end of many sexual misconduct allegations at work, but no evidence has ever been presented against him."

"He's sneaky, Kushina, and with her mom being a lawyer, she's gonna have a hard time bringing legal action against them. For now, she's safe with me, under Konoha law she's old enough to leave home if she felt she had to or even just wanted to." I was amazed, Mikoto had actually spent some time on this.

Even if it was just five or so hours, it's still enough. "Hmm, says here that her family has a long standing reputation with abuse claims and legal issues, being the reason Kizashi left the Land Of Tea to get away from the attention. Now I see it was just to get out of the spotlight so he could continue to do it out of the eye of Tea officials."

It was starting to make sense now, as I put two and two together. "Now, my question is, how do we battle this? I'm not gonna sit by and let this happen without any repercussions against the two Haruno's." I don't know, Mikoto-chan, but I'm not gonna sit by and watch this happen either. There's gotta be something deeper than this that we can find.

I grabbed my notepad and starting writing some ideas down. "We need to finish our lunches and get back to work, but I'll use all of my connections to find something out and we can meet up later, ok? Once I find something more out I'll give you a call." It seemed to be enough for her, as she simply nodded, getting back to her lunch.

Sakura, this is for you. And if not for you, it's for Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru, who all consider you family.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _September 28th, 4:15 pm._

Another boring day of school, what else is new. Just more classes, quizzes and torture at the hands of Tsunade trying to dig deep and find the truth to Shikamaru's injury. She took to questioning me and Sasuke now, plus somehow she found out about Sakura ending up at Sasuke's house last night, which we're having a 'boys meeting' about this weekend.

He did seem to bolt quickly last night, so whatever it was had to be pretty serious. I know Sakura's not pregnant, it's too soon to have this happen, scientifically. It takes a week or so to show up on a test and they haven't really had the time together. What, with her parents needing her home almost every night.

Still, it is quite weird that she ended up at his house and on a school night nonetheless. His mom apparently was cool with it, or else he would've been beaten black and blue for bringing a girl home and sleeping in the same bed as her. She has a temper, Sasuke's mom, just like mine. Hence why I haven't done that to her...yet.

I know I'll eventually make that mistake one of these days, 'cuz I'm a guy and I'm stupid. What? I know it, Sasuke knows it, so does Shika. We're not ignorant to the fact that, genetically, we're more prone to make dumb, ignorant mistakes than women. And thus genetically women are more tolerant to our stupidity.

This isn't news to us. It's what separates us from other douchebag fuckboys. Like Kiba, Kabuto and the like. How those two have managed to find girls that can stand them and tolerate them is God's business. Well, Kiba has Ino, and she isn't a girl, more like a walking container for every STD known to man. She's dirtier than a masochists wet dream.

I'm drabbling on, though. I have more pressing issues to deal with. Two, to be exact: me and Shikamaru have started the digging on my father, and me and Hinata have been getting closer and closer each day. She's opened up to me about deep things she's never had anyone to talk to about. It makes me feel good about myself, more than she knows.

She needs someone for her, and I wanna be that someone. Or do I? Therein lies the issue. How do I feel about this girl? I've only known her for maybe a week and a half now, but I feel more drawn to her than the two others I dated and knew for a year beforehand.

Is it because she's more like me than the others? Possibly. _*buzz buzz* 'I'm not gonna be home till late tonight sweetie. Ordered pizza for ahead of time, should be there by 5:00. Love you."_ Looks like I'm flying solo tonight, more time for me to jam and write. And get high, but you already know how that goes.

Shika had told me about this new weed his dealer had got and gave me a gram of it, so might as well give it a try. It's supposed to be high, _high_ quality stuff. But not so good that you end up on couch lock for the rest of the night. No, it's supposed to be like the cocaine of weed, gives you energy but not that much like coke, and broadens your imagination.

Whatever that means. Guess I'll find out tonight. I'll see what he's up to, since imma be alone maybe he'll come stay the night with me since I live not that far from the school, we can just ride share. Save the environment, or some bullshit like that.

 _*buzz buzz* "Yea, come pick me up? My parents are out on business till this weekend anyways."_ Perfect. I grabbed my keys and headed out, locking the door on my way out. I would see if Sasuke wanted to, but I know he has his hands full with Sakura. God bless that man, he's gonna need all the luck he needs. Whatever's up, it must be big.

On the way, a thought occurred to me: why don't I just teach the dumb shits I call friends to play and we can jam together? I know Shika is lazy as hell but he's also hella smart so he could pick up an instrument easily. He played Saxophone in band, and he was good at it, but he decided to join the football team with me and Sasuke in our sophomore year.

Why, I don't know. I was glad, however, that he did. And I was also glad that he lived maybe ten minutes away from me 'cuz I didn't feel like driving hallway across town today. I just wanted to scoop him up, go back home, get stoned and eat. Which is what we're gonna do. I hope

I pulled up to find him waiting for me, a small bag in his hands. "Never thought you'd get here, 'Ruto." Ok, dumbass, I actually got here quicker than any other time, probably 'cuz there's no traffic. I know he's just pulling my chain, though.

"Just shut up and get in the car, dumbass. I'm ready to get home." Get home and get stoned. Heh, that rhymes. But nobody likes a rhymer, not even other rhymers if we're being honest here. He got in and grabbed a CD from his backpack, the trusty dusty Reign In Blood album by Slayer. It's one of his favorite albums of all time. I don't pick favorites, though.

It's hard to, with so many genres and great albums by each band. "So, what's on your mind today, Naruto?" Ugh, where do I start? With my anonymous dad, once shy-now adventurous potential girlfriend, AWOL mom for some odd reason or a simple 'nothing'.

Option four sounded really good right about now. "Eh, nothing much." Of course he didn't believe it, looking at me accusingly. "Fine, fine, stop staring at me like you wanna make out. Just everything from my mom, to Hinata-chan, to my dad, and my music." My music, which has yet to take shape, but I digress.

He leaned back, closing his eyes and humming softly along to the music. "Yea, we've all got a lot on our minds. Add whatever's up with Sakura and Sasuke and this is turning out to really be one fucked up, dysfunctional family. But this is what we have, and I'm planning on working with it no matter what the cost. Hence, why I'm helping you in the studies." The studies of my origins.

Whatever my origins happened to be besides my fiery, red headed mother. No siblings, no relatives, just her. I mean, I'm content with just my mom, in no way am I complaining about her at all, she's done the best she can for me and I am really appreciative of it. But naturally there are holes in my family tree and they're holes I'm longing to close up.

I think the main issue is just how sketch she's been about this whole situation, ducking and dodging the questions like a ninja on crack, meth and red bull. I'll just bring it uo and she'll start sweating and stuttering out a hasty topic changing statement, usually summin about the weather or work. Or if I'm being really resilient, she'll go low and hit me with the military stuff.

She knows how much I love that stuff and can't resist it. Good job there, though. "Thanks a million, Shika, but right now I just wanna get stoned and eat some pizza. It should be there by five according to my mom." It was four-thirty now, so by the time we get home and get high it'll be there. Hopefully.

A few minutes later we pulled through the gate that secured our front yard and into the driveway, parking to the left side. "So you haven't tried that stuff I gave you yet?" I shook my head, getting a bad feeling in my stomach when he just grinned at me. "Well, it's safe to say that if you wanna get some writing done, tonight is the night to do it." Maybe, that was the idea anyways.

Throwing his stuff on my bed, he sat down, eyeing the guitar I had out. "Yeah, I haven't talked much about it but I'm planning on writing and recording an album soon, you know that recording gear I have?" He nodded. "Well I'm about to put it to use finally. It's been sitting around forever."

He picked it up and strummed it a few times, despite it not being plugged into the amp and turned on. "Drop D?" Drop D? How the fu...why am I not surprised that he knows something about guitars. I just simply nodded as he started dry strumming some tunes, which I made out to be the beginning of an Avenged Sevenfold song. "What? I don't know how you guys keep forgetting I have a guitar in my house."

Oh yeah...woops...we never really talked about music that much. More or less our musical hobbies. "To be honest, Shika, I was gonna ask you if you wanted to play in my band, the one I was planning on recording something for tonight. But since you already know how to play, if you want we can record with you playing tonight, instead of just me." He thought it over for a bit.

"Ne, I think I'd like that. Maybe we can get Sasuke in on it. What do you do anyways?" I know what he meant by that, as I started demonstrating some of my different vocal types, from deep growls to the high screams and the mid range yelling styles that I'm most comfortable with. "Not bad, actually really good dude. What style of music is this gonna be?"

I grabbed the guitar from him and turned the amp on, grabbing a pic from my dresser and started playing a simple rhythm, a hardcore verse. After I finished, it clicked in his head. "Hardcore, Shikamaru, hardcore. Just fast, angry, energetic as fuck hardcore." In that moment I think he saw what I saw. It's like a lightbulb went off in his head.

He must have really liked the idea, 'cuz he smiled big and just nodded quickly. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Shika, we already are friends. "Er, something. But I like that idea. It'll be a good way to relieve stress and anger instead of lashing out at people. Good job 'Ruto...for once."

I just laughed, punching him softly on the shoulder. "Shut up, Shika, and roll us a blunt." I tossed him the packed of cigarillos, as we began to work on the project. Project:Genesis to be exact.

Is that a good name? I hope so.

* * *

 _7:00 pm._

Life was good right about now. Me and Shikamaru had just got done killing some pizza, smoking some pot and now we're sitting in my garage, pen and pad in hand trying to get this thing going. I decided for the time being it would be easier to just play bass while he plays guitar and we can train Sasuke to play guitar...hopefully. He was never the most musical person.

He had texted and said he and Sakura were gonna stop by around now and chill, but he still wasn't here. In the meantime, me and Shika had gotten six songs written lyrically and were just trying to put music behind them. The thing I loved about this is it can be rough as fuck now, until we clean it up later.

After about fifteen minutes, we had the drum beat for song number one programmed, and were ready to put the guitars behind it. "Ready?" I asked the pineapple haired guy sitting next to me, who just nodded, as I clicked the record button, feeding the click through the headphones he was wearing. Once it hit four, the drums started and he jumped in.

He had almost gotten it perfect on the first try, and the second time was closer, but the third time was the charm, hitting every note perfectly. "Dude, perfect!" He exclaimed, high fiving me as we celebrated, getting the bass hooked up and tuned. It was his turn to play producer. "Ready, 'Ruto?" Once more, a nod and a press of the button.

Bass was much more simpler than guitar, it only took two tries to get it on the nose, and just like that we were ready to record the vocals. "Ne, a couple of things. One, can you do backing vocals. And two, text the two lovebirds and ask them where they're at, please." Grabbing his phone he shot them a text, before we started to prep the mic.

It was all coming along so fast. Here I stood in front of the mic, a few seconds away from finishing the first of hopefully many songs with one of my best friends. "Ok...go!" Four simple clicks, and here we were, moving along the train.

 _In the midst of this burning abyss. I'm growing tired, sick of this shit._

Grabbing the mic stand I decided to lean into it, bobbing my head along to the music.

 _Sickening silence, waiting for the end of it!_

So far so good, my companion seemed to like it as well.

 _I'm not your puppet on a fuckin' string._

 _Go ahead and try everything!_

 _This is it, this is it, this is the end!_

 _I'm gonna push, push, push you away! (Go ahead and make my day!)_  
Shika had decided to add that last little bit it through the second mic, and it worked. First verse/chorus down.

 _Kicking up dust on the road to revival._

 _When have you cared about my survival?_

 _You left me, left me all alone._

 _Why did you have to give up our home?_

Chorus number two time.

 _I get no sleep, get no sleep, dreaming of you!_

 _But you left, so now, I have to push you away!_

And breakdown.

 _Come back to me._

 _Come back to me!_

That was a wrap, as the music stopped and Shikamaru hit the end button, saving the recording as we just sat still and quiet for a moment, processing it all. Eventually, we both just slowly smiled, before laughing and hugging each other, celebrating the successful recording. We listened back over and over again, before moving on to the second song, finding that they came easier and easier.

It was nine o' clock and we had finished tracking instruments for the sixth song, getting ready to lay the vocals down for it. This one was really emotional for me, so we saved the best for last, I guess. "Three, two, one...hit it!" One, two, three, four.

 _-Verse 1-_

 _After it all, will I fall and just fade away?_

 _Will anyone be there to carry on my memory?_

 _Feeling useless, my feet are dragging on the ground._

 _I try to scream (Scream!), but I cannot make a sound._

 _-Chorus-_

 _Oh God come take me soon!_

 _I'm tired of hiding behind a needle and a spoon._

 _-Verse 2-_

 _Does anyone know or really care?_

 _Is there really a deity up there?_

 _Questions unanswered, but enough is enough._

 _A single woman can only do so much._

 _-Chorus 2-_

 _Oh God please answer me!_

 _I'm bleeding out, can't you see?_

 _No more sorry's, no apologies._

 _Just help me breath!_

 _Just help me breath!_

 _Just help me..._

By the time the song was finished I was on the ground, kneeling, huffing and puffing. Apparently I had gotten so into the song that I had decided it was a good idea to swipe the mic and prance around the garage like a jackass, never noticing the two new onlookers until just now, as they applauded my 'entertaining' performance. "Ma, dobe, not bad."

Of course the teme was here. "Late as ever, teme. What took you two so long?" Two and a half hours late. Go figure. But they had gotten a serious look on their faces, before taking a seat in the garage after grabbing two extra steel chairs from the wall.

"Now is the time when I need you to take this as serious as you possibly can, no jokes like we did to Shikamaru, this is as serious as ever." Okay, if it's that serious then she can't be pregnant, so what, then? "This is the reason that Sakura is staying with me now, and trust me when I say I wish there's something we could do about it, but my mom said to just grin and bear, she and your mom, Naruto, are working on a solution."

If my mom and Mikoto-san were working overtime, especially this late, on something, it must be big, but we kept quiet till Sasuke spoke again. "There's no other way to put this easily but blunt as fuck, but last night Sakura's dad tried to rape her."

Hold on, come again? Rape her? And he wanted us to be calm...why? "Okay, did you really expect to tell us that and for us just to be calm, Sasuke?" Thanks for saying it for me, Shika. I can't talk right now. I'd end up yelling. And I really don't wanna frighten Sakura anymore. She's already almost in tears over here.

If I made a list of things I hated the most, abusers and rapists would be at the tippy top of that list, along with abandoning deadbeat dads and people who joke about suicide, depression and other mental illnesses, but I digress, as that's besides the point. "Anything to say, Naruto, before I speak again?"

Oh, plenty, teme. _Plenty._ "I want to trust your reasoning as to why we shouldn't do anything, and I will respect it, for yours and Sakura's sake. But, this doesn't mean that I can guarantee I won't do anything to the bastard if our paths ever cross in person. I will not go seek him out, nor will I try to bump the odds of us meeting in my favor, in fact I'll do what I can to avoid him, but just so you know, if I get ahold of him, he's dead." Somehow I found the calmness to speak that much without yelling.

I was pleasantly surprised when it was Sakura who spoke, silencing Sasuke before he could retort. "Thank you, Naruto, I can understand if fate made you two collide I probably wouldn't be able to hold back either. But Sasuke's mom and your mom are working to try and find a way to take this guy down and imprison him. For good."

It'll have to be enough for me. "The reason we came here tonight was because you guys deserve to know. We had visited Hinata on the way here and that's what made us run late. But now we all know, and we can all help her move on and cope with it while mom and Ms. Kushina do their best in their studies." Well put, teme.

Me and Shikamaru had decided that now was a good a time as any to get up and hug her, wrapping her in a tight group hug, as she cried into us. "Guys, thanks, but I'll be ok. Just one question-slash-favor I need to ask of you guys." Anything, Sakura. "That weed you guys smoked in here smells good, can I have some?" We all just laughed as we rolled another blunt, smoking the night away.

* * *

 _11:00 pm._

"C'mon, there's two around the corner." I spoke to my left side companion, Sasuke.

"Got you, I'm on your six. Shika, to his nine." He had relayed to Shikamaru, tactically placed on the...couch.

"Copy, moving to the nine o' clock positon." Lazy bastard actually went there, too.

"Do you guys necessarily have to pretend like you're in the actual army to play a god damn shooting game?" And there's the non-gamer, Sakura.

"Yes."

"Mhmm."

"Sure do."

"I give up on you guys." Really, Sakura? It took you _this_ long to give up on us?

"Oh ye of little faith." It was only our way of having a bit more fun playing video games over than 'hey, over there' or 'hey, behind the barrel-thingies' since people apparently don't know what barrels are nowadays. Nor do they know how to use a military clock or use the clock in reference to positioning. "Time check."

"2312, 'Ruto-ow!" The wild non-gamer has struck, grabbing her mate by the ear and twisting it. A tactical move.

"I swear to the heavens, Sasuke, if you start referring to our special dates and everything in this lingo of yours so help you god you will not see the light of day ever again!" Ah, the threat of murder. Some men will submit, but my teammate is a strong willed individual.

"Okokokok just let go of my ear please, 'Kura-hime" Or not...

"Well, at least you didn't refer to me as private again." Yea, I remember that. It was maybe fifteen minutes ago.

"I know...but don't ever touch your C.O. like that again, private!" Some men will never learn.

"That's it, you're dead!"

And thus began the slow murder of the man that is formerly known as Sasuke Uchiha. May he rest in peace.

* * *

 _2345 pm- I mean, 11:45 pm..._

After the attempted murder of Sasuke, the two lovers had bid us farewell, leaving Shikamaru and me just sitting on the back porch, a plate of desserts for each of us, on the side tables next to us. "I know Temari was bossy, but hot damn Sakura sure knows how to manhandle Sasuke." Said Shikamaru, before stuffing his face with a brownie.

Funny, it may be, but it was true. Of all the years I've known Sakura and Sasuke, she's always been bossy and demanding at times and he's always been rebellious and had a 'fuck the authority, fuck the man' mentality. But love does funny things to you. And I think we all feel that in some way. Shikamaru, Sasuke and Sakura all have their people.

And me? Well, I'm not sure yet. I _want_ to say I love Hinata, and just jump into a relationship with her. But I _need_ to make sure it's the right thing beforehand. I'm tired of wasting my time on half ass relationships and one sided loves. "Shika." I quietly muttered out. "When did you realize that you had loved Temari?"

He let out a solid 'hmm', almost an amused sounding one, before talking. "I guess it must have been about half a year ago, in the area of March. I had started talking to her in August of last year, mind you, beginning of sophomore year. We officially got together in October, I think it was actually Halloween. Remember the party we went to and I was texting that girl all night?"

Huh, well that makes sense now. It was Halloween night and as usual we had been partying it up. But Shikamaru had been stuck on his damn phone all night and ended up bumping into some senior, spilling his drink 'cuz he was too busy looking at his phone. He tried to fight us, but was too drunk and swung once, missing and tripping before face planting into some girls cleavage.

I just smiled and laughed, nodding as he smiled too. "Man, that was a helluva night." I said, reminiscing on the fond memories of the eternally remembered ass whipping that dude got from the girl and her friends. Good times, good times.

Letting out a sound and refreshing 'ah', he continued on. "Well, we were talking all night because she was bummed out that she couldn't leave the house. She twisted her ankle real bad playing basketball. But it was the little things she was saying, about how she could never find a boyfriend that wasn't scared away by her family. Well I joked about how I had big balls, and the more I thought about it, I decided she was worth trying. She made me happy, made me laugh, and I truly cared about how she was doing and felt." He reached for my cigarette pack, taking one out of it, causing me to look at him weird.

He noticed my weird look and just shrug, lighting one up. I shrugged too, following suit. "And I'm sure she felt the same way. But you knew you loved her before you even dated her?" Is that possible? Only one way to find out, I guess. And that's ask someone. "Is that really possible?"

Shikamaru had looked to me, about to answer, before a voice from the doorway interrupted us. "I loved your father, just so you know, and he loved me too." Mom? She never talked about dad, so why now? "It's more than possible, Naruto-kun. There's a difference between _loving_ someone and _being in love_ with someone. Me and your father _loved_ each other, but we were never _in_ love." And with that, she bowed away, retiring to her room.

Me and Shika just looked at each other, processing what she had just said before deciding to tuck it away for another day. "Anyways, so you agree with that?" He nodded slowly, leaving me to think for just a minute. "So...when did you know you were in love with her?" What I loved about Shika was he'd always answer my questions no matter what.

Again, he thought for just a minute this time, before giving me his answer. "Well, it was when she told me she was pregnant. After my stupid little rage, I had an hour or two to think before she called me. And it was then I realized that I was all in, and the next day I had told her that, I was all in. Everything I got, I put it into the relationship. It took all our strength to make sure the relationship didn't splinter, but it was worth it." I applaud him for that. I can't say I could do the same.

It all culminated to this final little bit. "I think I want to try and make a move with Hinata, but I'm not sure what to do. I don't want to fuck things up just yet, but I want to get closer to her. Do you know of any way it's possible to do that and not actually date?" He chuckled, before putting his cigarette out. "And by the way, what's up with that?" So many questions.

"Well, to answer the cigarette thing, I occasionally enjoy them, every now and then. I have a hard time getting addicted to stuff, anyways." Meh, I know people who are the occasional smoker. "And the first question, go on some friendly dates. Not actual dates, just go eat somewhere or hang out and talk, yano." Friendly dates?

How do you go on a date and not be dating. "And how exactly do I do that? Just say 'hey, let's go on a date, but as friends'?" I was never the most emotionally savvy or smart guy, nor was I necessarily romantically advanced in my own means.

He laughed again, before shaking his head. "No, dumbass, just ask her if she wants to get something to eat or hang out, and just enjoy each others presence and company." So, what normal friends do. "Tell you what, just ask her right now if she wants to go get something to eat Saturday night before the concert and ask her if she wants to ride with you, k?"

In reality, that's not such a bad idea, since I know she's awake anyways. Nodding to Shika, I texted her and set my phone down. Then it buzzed. Looking at the cause of it, I was relieved for it to be a text from her, simply saying 'I'd love that, Naru-kun. Pick me up at 5?'. Sounded good, as I texted her back and confirmed the pickup time.

I just smiled, as things seemed to be going right now. The rest of the night was just bullshit talking about normal man shit. Beer, sports and food. But I couldn't help but just wish for Friday and Saturday to get here.

'Cuz I, Naruto Uzumaki, had a hot date. I mean, not a date, just a _friend_...

* * *

 **A/N:** And it's the end of another chapter. Not much to say now except I hope you guys enjoy, and if you would please review and favorite/follow it. Also, sorry for the delay, I've been sick and missed two days of writing, so I'm working in upping the length if it's gonna take longer. But I digress. Enjoy, review and keep your eyes open for the next chapter. Ja ne!


	7. Cold Pt I

**A/N:** I feel like I should've covered this before, but here's the ages for this story (some have been changed to fit better). Naruto: 17 (turning 18 soon). Sasuke: 18(his birthday was in July). Sakura: 18 (birthday was in march). Shikamaru: 18 (will be doing an omake soon about his birthday which was September 22nd). Hinata: 17 (turning 18 in December). Temari: 18 (turned in august). Neji, Lee, Ten-ten: 18 and graduating. Gaara: 17 (turning 18 in January). Kankuro: 18 and graduating (I'll have the backstory for this soon). Kushina, Mikoto, Hiashi and Minato: 40, 40, 42 and 41. Hanabi: 13 (turned in march).

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to Evans Blue. Rock on \m/

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _October 2nd, 11:30 am._

Well, today was the big day. My first date with Naruto. Well, not a _date_ date, but we're doing something together. No one else. Just us two. Alone. What in the actual _fuck_ am I gonna do? Or more importantly, what am I gonna _wear_? I was sitting in my closet on the floor just staring up at all my clothes I could wear. Oh well, time to text Sakura and ask her what to wear to a concert.

I mean, I need to look good but I know concerts can get hot and sweaty. So comfort is another factor, and movability. If it's too tight, it can tear if I simply bend over to pick something up. And I'd rather not go there in front of however many people are gonna be there. According to Naruto it's a four-hundred capacity venue.

How many were actually gonna be there? Everyone said about two-hundred-ish. So yea, I'd rather not have to manage that in front of two-hundred plus people. I was gonna decide on a pair of leggings that, in my opinion, showed off my rear too much, but Sakura swears it's 'sexy and cute'. However those two fit together.

But in the end I decided to wear a pair of jean booty shorts with fishnet stockings on underneath, simple boat socks and a pair of my old, beat up converse, a random Slayer tee shirt I somehow ended up with, and a black cloth choker necklace that had a metal ring in the middle of it. The more that I think about it, how _did_ I end up with that tee shirt? After thinking hard for a minute, it finally hit me.

It was my moms. I had almost forgot for a moment that she had went through her phase in college, according to my dad. But it wasn't a phase, she still listened to heavy metal, but it wasn't as religiously or in depth as it had been when she was a freshman in college. Me and my dad would sometimes just sit there and talk about her.

Her memory lived on through us, though, and that made me feel good. I looked up to the ceiling of my room and whispered out softly. "Momma, am I making you proud?" That's all I wanted in life. To do right and make her proud. And one day, if I had children, I'd do everything I could to make sure they turned out the best they could possibly turn out.

Me and my cousin, Neji, used to be really close, but over time our relationship dwindled away. Him and his basketball, and Ten-Ten, and me with just being me. Those two were really inseparable, though. She's a sweetheart, and she's really good for him, so I'm really happy he's finding some substance in life after the death of his father, my uncle, Hizashi.

Hard to believe it's been ten years to the day that he died, killed in a simple fucking bar fight that shouldn't have happened. I remember hearing about it, my dad and uncle Hizashi were at the bar and had been just joking around, someone overheard it and took it seriously and decided to pull a gun on the two and shoot at my dad.

But uncle Hizashi dove in front my dad and took the bullets for him, sacrificing himself in the end. Neji, for a few years after, constantly blamed us for it, but after he opened his eyes and heard his father's last words. We were both ten then, I had just turned ten and he was about to turn eleven. A warm summer day he had showed up after school and apologized.

Ever since then we got closer and closer, and he was the brother that I never had, not that I wanted one, but I was more than glad to have him around. Times have changed, and seven years have passed since then. About a year ago, when he had started his junior year, he got offered the captain position and used his fathers money to get his own place.

He 'needed time to be on his own' and to 'figure his life out', but he never came back, and barely spoke to me, Hanabi or father since then. But it doesn't mean I'm not gonna go visit uncle's grave today and put some fresh flowers on it. He wasn't my father, so I know I'll never feel what he felt, but he was still family. And family matters.

I crept down the hall, knocking on Hanabi's door and cracking it open. "Hanabi, you still asleep?" I called out, met by only a grunt and a muffled 'go away'. Chuckling, I shut her door and wrote a note telling her what I was doing and when I'd be back. Next stop, my father. But when I got to his door, there was a not for me.

 _"Hinata-I have a very important issue I must take care of at work today, but I will return home around three pm.  
You know what today is, so go do what you have to do.  
_ _Love you, dad."_

Yeah, I know whatever he has to deal with at work must be pretty damn serious if he's working on this day. But, nothing I can do about it. Skipping, I headed out the door and jumped in my car, driving off towards the first stop on my destination. Ino's parents flower shop. Did I really _want_ to have to handle her? No. But they had the best flowers in town.

And family is worth it.

* * *

 _12:15 pm._

Ino's parents were actually really freaking nice. Just Ino...ugh. I have no personal quarrel with her, but now that I've stepped out of the shadows and dipped my foot in the water, me and Naruto were a 'hot topic' in lunchroom talks and debates between all the gossip kings and queens. Kabuto had returned Thursday, but he completely looked the other way when it came to us.

The blonde witch, though, had put her train in full steam ahead mode, trying to dig up anything she could about me and us. _Anything_. No one believed her though. I digress, though, as I walked through the door of the flower shop and heard the bell jingle.

A call of "Good afternoon, welcome to Yamanaka Flower's!" Greeted me, before her eyes caught mine. A mini stared-down occurred fore just a minute before her mom had came down and broke it up, softly asking me if I needed anything special ordered. "Hmm, yea, 'Nata-chan', do you need anything special ordered for a special someone?"

I know exactly what she was trying to do, but I'm not gonna make a scene just so she can go report it to anyone that'll listen to her blather on. "Nothing special ordered, just need a bouquet of white carnation's and red peony's. Ten of each, if you don't mind, please." I kindly asked, fishing my wallet out of my purse and grabbing the necessary money.

As usual, the blonde just huffed and turned around, fixing up the bouquet. At least she's good at what she does and doesn't fuck things up just because she's in a piss poor mood. "So, healing and remembrance, these must be for a gravesite, ne?" Huh? She actually asked me a question that wasn't mean and snooty? I'll be damned.

"Yeah, it's for my uncle who died ten years ago today." She just nodded, continuing here work on bouquet. I decided to walk over to the card rack and grab a card that was purple and simply said in cursive, gold glittery letters 'Remembrance'. Setting it on the counter, I asked for one more bouquet. "If it isn't a bother, can I get a half-dozen bouquet of zinnias, please."

She just waved her hand at me, signifying she would, as she finished the first one and placing it in a simple clear vase. "Zinnias? Those are for friendship and remembrance, did someone forget you...like Naruto?" Ugh, and there it was, the bitchy, prodding Ino. "Just kidding, I may be a bitch, but I'm not gonna fuck with you on a day like this."

Not on a day like this? I mean, I'm glad she's at least that nice, but she must understand that on a day of significant death not to mess with someone. Meaning she must have suffered a death in her family. But the rest of the shopping trip went quietly, as I paid and thanked Ino for her kindness and walked out, getting in my car.

I sat the flowers snuggly in a basket on my back seat and buckled it in. I drove about twenty minutes down the road to the cemetery, sitting in the car and writing out the note on the card I had gotten, smoking a cigarette in the meantime, before setting the card next to the zinnias, grabbing the basket and walking off into the cemetery where my uncle lay.

It was maybe a five minute walk down the pathway till I reached the gravesite, kneeling down on my knees in front of the headstone and just closing my eyes, praying, hoping for a peaceful afterlife. "Uncle, I hope you and mother are proud of me and Neji-nii, he's turned out to be a fine man and someone I'm glad to call family."

I felt a tear slip down my face as I continued on quietly whispering out my prayer, saying a soft amen and opening my eyes, putting my bouquet on the left side of the head stone and just reading over the headstone again, stopping on the words that were put there at his request. His final words to Neji.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Letting out an 'eep', I turned around to see who had said those words, only to see Neji, dressed in his usual black jeans, tee shirt and sneakers, looking down at me, Ten-Ten by his side. "Hinata." He simply said, sending a cold shiver down my spine for some reason.

My hand trembled as I stood up, bowing to Neji before moving to walk past him, stopping for just a moment. "I got these for you, nii-san." I extended the flowers to him, as he hesitated about grabbing them for a second, before grasping the in his hands, eyeing the card I had attached to it. "You're still gonna be a brother to me in my eyes, Neji-nii."

He said nothing as I just walked away from him, heading back to the car and getting in it, turning it over and hastily starting my music. I couldn't handle it anymore, though, as I just broke down in tears, sobbing out quietly with my face in my hands, with them rested on the steering wheel.

 _They say it's better to have loved than never at all,_

 _But I can't seem to find any good in being thrown at the wall.  
_

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV**

* * *

 _October 2nd, 12:00 pm._

Yup, time to face the music. I pulled up to her door, right on time as she waltzed out of the house, dressed in a pair of jeans, baseball tee and sneakers, getting in the car and kissing me on the cheek softly. "Hey love, are you ready to step into the vipers pit?" More like the medieval executioners chamber if you ask me personally.

I just nodded, catching her lips in another soft kiss. "I was born ready. Remember?" I tapped my crotch gently. "Balls of steel." It was a simple nod at our origins as a couple, but it made her start laughing, and as long as I kept her happy, at least it'll be just one less person ready to take a knife to my crown jewels. I gulped just thinking about the option of that happening.

We headed out to the restaurant, Le Lieu De La Paix, or 'The Place Of Peace' in English. Not only was it a fitting name for a restaurant to go to before metaphorical shit hits the metaphorical fan, but they had one of her favorite foods. A sweet, honey cinnamon roasted chestnut ice cream with chestnuts on top, served on top of a fresh baked cookie.

She wasn't a huge fan of French food, but we could at least share a appetizer before we had the dessert. Then it was time for _it_. The drive was, as usual, a simple drive filled with small talk. Neither of us wanted to talk about the task at hand, trying to make this day seem normal and calmer than what it should be.

Of course, it wasn't gonna work, but there wasn't any pain in trying, right? After I parked I walked over to her door and opened it for her, offering my arm to her. "If milady so pleases, I would like to escort her into the restaurant by my side." My pitiful attempt at a proper French accent failed and caught fire, but she giggled, taking my arm.

The place was nice, certainly a place of peace, with calming classical music on in the background, shades over the windows and candles on every table. "Table for Nara, sir." I politely said, as he nodded and escorted us to a table with two chairs at it. I pulled her chair out, helping her to her seat.

Now, I wasn't one for such romantics, so why now? Well, that's exactly what Temari wanted to know too, if her question was indicative of it. "Well, well, aren't we just being quite the gentleman today, huh Mr. Nara?" Ugh, calling me Mr. Nara made me feel like an extremely old man, but it did have a nice ring to it. Oh, and yea about the whole why thing.

"Why, yes, madam. You might be wondering why, well, here's why." I took my seat across from her, taking both of her hands into mine. "With all the stress and shit that's been going on, I just figured you would want an hour or so of just me and you, and I've never actually tried being a gentleman before and I thought I'd see how it works." I laughed sheepishly.

She just stared into my eyes, as if she was trying to look into my soul. "Well, it's working, you've made me swoon even harder for you, my love." Leaning in, we shared a gentle kiss amongst the candles, before a subtle cough drew our attention away from each other. It was the waiter, just looking along.

"Good afternoon, Sir and Madam, I'm truly sorry to interrupt you two." I just gave him a friendly wave, as he nodded in acknowledgement. "What shall I get you two to drink on this fine summer day? Perhaps a cold glass of our fresh blended mixed fruit juice?" After asking for an explanation of what it was, it was apparently apple, orange, banana and strawberry juice mixed together.

I looked to Temari, who just nodded. "Yes, two glasses of that would be excellent, thank you." The waiter nodded, bowing off to go grab our drinks, leaving just me and Temari to ourselves, as the thoughts of the future started swelling in our heads. It was hard not to think about what was about to happen.

Moreover, neither of us knew _exactly_ what was gonna happen. That's my problem, the fear of the unknown. I want to trust Temari when se says that her parents aren't that much of loose cannon, especially her dad, but I can't help but doubt her. "So how'd the music go with Naruto?" Her voice broke my silent thinking, as the waiter supplied us with our drinks.

Taking a sip out of it, I hummed in pleasure. It was actually really good. But now, to turn my attention to the woman of my dreams in front of me. "It went well, and still is. We re-worked a few things and did some re-recording the other day and now he's just mixing it and cutting it. We have six songs so far, just waiting to burn the CD's"

Honestly, I couldn't wait to see what people thought of our stuff. "Do you have a CD or anything ready yet? 'Cuz I wanna hear it." Apparently she couldn't wait either, 'cuz she started giving me her pouty, sad, puppy eyed face that she uses whenever she wants me to do her a favor. I just sighed and nodded, which made her smile. "Yay!"

She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek, making me blush a little bit from the unexpectedness of the kiss. I'm still getting used to the mood swings, and they've only just began, on top of the fact that she's bipolar. Is it too late to fake my own death and move to the good 'ol Land Of Tea and start a life as a basic laborer? Nah, but I'm content with the blonde headed girl across from me.

A few minutes later, the waiter returned to take our food orders. It was simple, just two bowls of Pot-Au-Feu with andouille sausage in it as well. The dinner, again, was really quiet but small talk ensued. After finishing up with dinner, we made sure to save room for dessert, and got a takeaway container for the leftover dinner.

Temari had just looked at me and smiled when the dessert got here. "I've been craving this for the last week, but I knew we were going here on a date, so I decided to wait for you. That and I'm too lazy to get up and get myself some." Sound like someone you know? Yeah, I'm not alone here, fuckers. Surprise, surprise, she's lazy too, why do you think we've gotten along so well? I mean, not as lazy as me, but...

It didn't take them long to get the dessert to us, and before I knew it we were both digging in. I was never the biggest fan of sweets, but she's gotten me hooked on this stuff, it's sweet and kind of savory. After we had finished, I had her go out to my car as I paid for the bill. I didn't like letting her see the bill, if she knew how much I spent...

She's always praised herself on being independent. I don't want her to feel like she has to help pay, and if she saw the bill sometimes, she'd go crazy letting me pay the entire bill. I have money, so does she, but I don't spend my money on much of anything besides our dates, so I save money a lot, per advice from my dad. Not a bad idea.

Giving a final thanks to the Maître D', and leaving a good tip, I headed out to the car, pulling my shades out of my pocket and putting them on. Once I reached the car, I opened the door and got in. "So, did you enjoy the lunch. Tem-chan?" Looking over to her, she nodded, smiling brightly at me. Smiling back, I shifted into drive, and took off to what could be my doom.

We didn't talk at all on the ride over to her house. No music, just fifteen minutes of silence and road noises. As bad as I wanted to know what was swirling inside her head, I know she felt the same way towards me, but we both left each other in our thoughts in a show of mutual respect. But I know she was worried for me.

How do I know? Well, she always does this thing with her hands when she's worried. She'd go to interlock her fingers together, but not close and hold them there. Then she'd look at what or whoever she was worried about before quickly looking away again. Then she'd zone out, like she is now. Me? I just bottled it up and overthought shit.

I understand that I do, indeed, overthink things most of the time. But I've seen what happens when people act without thinking, and I'm living in it now. We weren't thinking, we were just acting on our feelings, and that lead us to this. It was a mistake, but a mistake I'm glad we made and glad that we're handling together.

Fifteen minutes later, we reached our destination, parking in the street right in front of the house, lined up perfectly with the door. "Escape route?" Temari had asked me, before we both nervously laughed, exiting the car. I waited for her to come to me, before I looked her in the eyes and kissed her softly, taking her hand in mine as we strutted off.

Walking through the front door, we were greeted by her mom and dad, who just curtly nodded at me and Temari as we made our way to the couches in the living room. Me and Temari took one, and her parents sat directly across from us. "So, Mr. Shikamaru, if I might ask would you mind sharing with us the reasoning for the meeting we're having?"

Looking at Temari one more time, I gulped slightly. "Well, Mr. Sabaku, Temari and I have called this meeting because we have a really big announcement to make." As I was talking, her parents' eyes just narrowed in on me, making my breathing get a bit tighter than before. Boy, they both can be intimidating.

It was Temari's mother, Karura, that spoke first. "Well, you can't be getting married, no? You, sir, haven't asked her father for his blessing." Well, true, marriage was in my sights yes. But no I haven't gotten to talk to them yet, being that we still had to handle this.

Rasa, her father and the former Kage of the Sunagakure, was the next to set his verbal sights on me. "So tell me, what is it then that you could possibly have to tell us?" About now is when I started to get the gut feeling that they figured it out, but were waiting on one of us to say it, confirming their thoughts and probably their fears.

Sighing, I prepared to speak again, but was cut off gently by Temari's hand on my shoulder, as she just softly smiled at me. "I got this." Okay, no arguing with her. She looked at her parents with a newfound conviction. "Mother, father, I will understand if you're upset about this, but understand also it's a mistake we both made. With that being said, I'm pregnant."

As blunt as ever, but a weight was off our chests. We looked to her parents, and the reaction we got was, well, expected. They both sighed, and Rasa stood up. "Son, come with me, we have some words that we must share in private." I stood up as told, and Temari opened her mouth to protest. "Daughter, you will have some words with your mother."

I looked to Temari, and just smiled. "Temari-hime, I can handle it." She just sighed, and nodded as me and her father walked away, moving upstairs to his office that wasn't a torture chamber, thankfully. "Look, Mr. Sabaku, I'll take whatever responsibility you request of me, but it wasn't just my choice either." I said, taking a seat at his desk.

He just sat behind his desk, glaring at me. "Mr. Nara, I have a few questions for you, if I may ask." Nodding, he began his questioning. "First of all, how do you feel about my daughter, Temari?" It was expected.

Now, how do I put this in the best way possible to take some of his anger away? "Well, Mr. Sabaku, I can surely say that I am one hundred percent in love with Temari. I knew this before she told me the news, but after I heard the news, it just confirmed my love for her even more, and I'll do everything I can to support her and be there for her."

He seemed content with my answer, as he just slowly and ever-so slightly nodded. "Acceptable. Now, why do you love my daughter?" Why? Shit, where do I begin. "And, if given the opportunity, will you take her hand in marriage?"

I thought deeply for just a minute before answering him. "Why? She makes me happy, and I make her happy. Everytime I'm with her, the world seems less stressful, and more comfortable. She's beautiful, smart, kind, strong yet gentle when she needs to be. Over the year and a half I've known her she's grown into such an amazing woman." I finished, thinking about the marriage part for a second.

He was about to reiterate the last question before I politely cut him off. "If I may, I'm ready to finish my statement." Giving me a nod of confirmation, I started. "I would be more than happy to one day call her my wife. I hadn't thought about it a lot recently, but it was in my sights after we handled the situation with you two first."

We were silent for a few minutes before he spoke again. "Shikamaru-san." He began, surprising me with the honorific. "Do not think for a second I'm overjoyed with this revelation." And I came crashing back down. "However, in the few times we've met and talked, I know you're good for my daughter, and vice-versa. You two have helped each other grow, and I'm proud of my daughter no matter what happens."

I couldn't help but smile, feeling a rush of confidence and pride. "Thank you so much for understanding, Sabaku-san." I paused as he reached into a drawer in his desk after unlocking it. What he pulled out really wasn't a shock to me.

Setting the tiny ring box on the desk, he motioned for me to take it. "As of now, you officially have my wife and I's blessing. You can choose any ring you want as the marriage ring, but these engagement rings have been handed down from generation to generation of the Sabaku family." When I opened the box, the rings I saw left me breathless.

The female one was a pure gold band with a solid, twenty-four karat diamond in the middle, which was flanked on either side by a smaller, still eloquent ruby. The male was a simple gold band, but with a tigers eye gemstone on the middle. Barely noticeable, but fashionable. Left speechless, I simply nodded and stood up, offering a hand to Rasa.

Standing up as well, he shook my hand firmly, before pulling me in to a brief hug. "Now, shall we go rejoin the women for some tea? We have a bit more to cover." With a firm nod, I pocketed the ring box and headed back downstairs to join my girlfriend and hopefully soon to be fiancée.

* * *

 _3:15 pm_

The rest of the talks had gone rather peaceful, just mainly talks about getting her started on prenatal medicines and getting doctors visits set up, normal pregnancy stuff. Now, we're just sitting up here at a point known as 'Hangout Cliff'. It's apparently a well known place for high school kids, Kankuro told me about it in one random conversation.

Me and her brothers talk every now and then on Leafbook but it's seldom. Mainly 'cuz I'm dating their sister. Speaking of which, Temari's parents are thankfully taking care of them, but I'm sure I'll get some really 'friendly' messages from them. Ha, more like passive aggressive threats and innuendos at what they really wanna do to me.

Do I blame them? I mean if I was in their situation I'd be mad at first naturally, but naturally I'm too lazy to do anything about it, so...whatcha gonna do about it? Not a damn thing. Right now, I'm happy. Like, completely happy for the first time in forever. I'm with the love of my life, at a ledge overlooking the vast desert that surrounds us.

We were just sitting on the trunk of my car, looking out onto the what must be trillions of grains of sand in the sea of brown. It must suck being surrounded by nothing but tan, tan and more tan. No trees, no water, just tan sand, tan buildings, tan _everything_. Hell, even her car is tan. Thank god she doesn't wear all tan clothing, then it'd be just overkill.

My thoughts went to the ring in my pocket that she somehow hasn't noticed yet and when I should act on it. I mean, nothings stopping me now, but I really want it to be on a special day. But, todays been a pretty special day for both of us. I got the ok to propose to my best friend, kept all my body parts, and I'm leaving Suna alive and well.

I should talk to the boys first, at least, they've always had the best ideas. And Sakura and Hinata are girls, so they'll be able to give me good advice on how to do it and when the right time is and how to not fuck everything up in general. Gotta love my family. My family is about to get a lot bigger too

And I'm ok with that. Very ok. "Hey, wanna head to Konoha now? We can jam the rough copy of the EP me and Naruto recorded on the way." Our time here was running short anyways, with the hour and a half to two hour drive to Konoha we'd be there in good time for the show, which started at seven thirty, but we'll get to Konoha about five-ish.

She nodded, and we got in the car and jetted away from the sandy city, on the way to the city of leaves as me and Naruto's creation played in the background.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _October 2nd, 4:45 pm._

I got to Hinata-chan's house a little bit early, walking up to the door and knocking. I was dressed rather simply, a pair of tan cargo shorts, Anthrax tee shirt, converse and a few random band bracelets I had collected over the years. The door swung open, and Hiashi, Hinata's dad, was there to greet me. "Ah, Naruto, come in, she's finishing up doing her makeup."

Waltzing in the door, he motioned for me to follow him to his office for some tea while I waited. Naturally he didn't want me in her room alone with her, in her restroom. "I know how that goes, when my mom get's ready for important business dates she takes _forever_." He just chuckled as we sat idly, sipping on some tea.

It was silent for a few minutes, admittedly uncomfortably silent, until he let out a gentle cough. "So, Mr. Uzumaki, I know I needn't tell you this, but I'm sure you'll take good care of my daughter tonight, no?" What kinda question was that?

Of course, I did at the party, I'll do it this time too. "Yes sir, you have nothing to worry about. I'll make sure she's safe and sound and home by midnight." Or at least that's the time she told me she needed to be home by.

He waved a hand at me, seemingly dismissing that last part of my statement. "I'm not too worried about exactly when she's home, just so long as it's not a random time in the morning. As long as she's unhurt, and still _innocent_ , I'll be happy." Innocent, ha. She's already done away with that one way before we started talking. Maybe sexually innocent, but not in other cases.

The next ten minutes were just small talk about school and my mom. He seemed interested in her, but he sensed that and explained that Hyuuga motors and Uzu-tech have had a longstanding relationship, and if the head of Uzu-tech is all well, then it meant good things for Hyuuga motors. Which made sense to me.

Hiashi is really polite and quite logical, so he has no reason to lie. Almost twenty minutes had passed and he was about to get up and check on her till we heard a knock on the door and it swung open at Hiashi's approval. "Hey Oto-san, Naruto-kun, nee-chan said you'd be in here." She had came in, and she stunned me.

She was dressed perfectly in her fishnet, shorts and Slayer shirt that went perfectly with my Anthrax shirt. I stood up and greeted her with a light hug, before we turned to Hiashi for his final statement. "You know the drill, come home safe, don't do drugs, don't drink and drive and text me once in a while to let me know you're ok."

We both nodded firmly, bidding a farewell and heading out to my truck, heading out to the restaurant I had chose. Marcel's was a simple Italian restaurant with great Alfredo and breadsticks, something we can both enjoy. "So, wanna hear the music me and Shikamaru recorded?" I asked her, as we were still maybe twenty minutes out from the midtown eatery.

Nodding kinda vehemently, I flipped the radio over to CD mode and started it over, adjusting the volume to where she could hear it perfectly clear while not overpowering her. She was silent for the four songs we got through before we reached the restaurant, where she just looked at me and smiled. "It was really good, Naruto-kun."

I don't know why, but that made my heart feel really good. Maybe I did love this girl after all. "It was so good it left you speechless, huh?" I joked, prodding an elbow at her ribs softly as she giggled, before I motioned for her to look into the back seat, where I had a box labeled 'Project:Genesis'. "Three hundred discs ready to be put in peoples hands."

"Dayum, son." She just laughed out, putting a hand on the box through the open door. "It must have cost a fortune to get this done, but it's definitely worth." I guess she forgot that my mom owns a tech company, so I had the software and right computer for it.

We headed towards the door to the restaurant side by side, and on the way in our hands bumped and brushed together, making both me and her sport a visible, vibrant blush on our faces. It only took a few minutes but we were seated and had our drinks on the way. They had a sweet tea to die for.

I was a sucker for sweet tea, straight from the Land Of Tea. One of these days we're gonna make the visit there, even if it is a eight-plus hour drive. I need to get some straight from the source. Mom said it's a bunch of 'hicks' that live over there, whatever that means, but they're also a massive oil, energy and livestock producer. But they have a _lot_ of guns.

Not bad in my opinion, but this is where I am and I'm happy with it. Was she, though? Judging by the fact that we're conversing, laughing and just plain out having fun together. "And the way Sasuke looked at this girl and said 'ma'am, can I please have my shoes back' was just priceless." Ah, what a fun story.

Hinata must have thought so too, as she was trying her hardest not to laugh out loud, snickering as tears of joy brimmed her eyes. The story, well, we were at a party and Sasuke had ended up taking his shoes off outside and some psycho girl ran up and stole them to have 'a little bit of him with her'.

Over the years, Sasuke has attracted some of the weirdest girls, including this girl Haku with her weird and awkwardly strong adoptive dad, Zabuza. Boy that did not go well for him at all. They went out for a couple of months and once Zabuza found out that they slept together twice on some awkward occasions, he almost got hung by his toenails and beat with a kendo stick.

There were more things that he had been threatened with, but thankfully they moved back to Kirigakure and from what Sasuke has said, they're doing really well over there. Shikamaru has had the best luck, with only one random relationship and then this thing with Temari.

After we had finished eating, I ordered us some dessert. "Two of the cinnamon bun tiramisu specials, please." Did she like cinnamon buns or something? 'Cuz her eyes lit up like the fourth of July sky when I ordered that.

To me it was good, but it was simply just tiramisu but the cookies were replaced with cinnamon one and they mixed icing in with it, and it's served in a waffle bowl with a bed of cinnamon ice cream. It's a lot of cinnamon, too much sometimes, but it's good to me.

But oh well, if she does then that's a point in my book, and if not, then...woops. "So, Naruto-kun, can I ask you a kinda personal question?" Personal question, huh? I gotta admit that I wasn't quite expecting her to bust out a personal question, but I just nodded as she took a deep breath. "Are you still a virgin?" I coughed a bit, not quite expecting that.

She looked at me and just blushed, hiding her face and mumbling an apology. "It's ok, Hina-chan, I just wasn't expecting that question." Peeking her head up just a bit, she saw my smile. "And to answer your question, no, I'm not." At that, she seemed a bit...upset or maybe even disheartened. "What about you?"

Nodding her head, I noticed the slightest of blushes but blew it off as nothing. "Yea, as you know I haven't really gotten out much anyways." True, I didn't really expect her to be like 'yea I've been laid before'

That conversation after that just withered, shriveled up and died, mainly because the dessert got here, and I know she loved it but she was holding back from being too happy about it. "Ne, Hinata-chan, you like cinnamon buns or something?" She just looked at me and admittedly it looked like I had said something that hurt her, from the look on her face.

After a few seconds, she slowly nodded, putting her dessert spoon down. "I love cinnamon buns, and cinnamon in general." I asked why, and I feel like I shouldn't have because she got this sad look. "It was one of my mom's favorite foods, and she isn't with us anymore. She passed when I was five, right after my sister was born."

I noticed a tear starting to slip from her eye, realizing this was a sad tear now, and reached up, lightly brushing it from her eye. "Hey, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." The last thing I wanted to do was make my crush cry. Now I feel like a dick.

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and pulled herself together. "It's ok, any other day and I would've been fine, but today was the anniversary of the passing of my uncle, and it's just been a really stressful day." To be honest, I knew that, because Hiashi had mentioned it to me when I first got there. It wasn't small talk, just quiet talk. Should he have?

Maybe, maybe not, but I didn't think bringing up her mom would've triggered her. "Yea, I know, it's one of the things me and your dad talked about. I've thankfully never lost any family, only gained some in the form of Sasuke, Shikamaru, Sakura, and you now." The look in here eyes when I said that seemed shocked. I can understand why, but still.

And her subsequent statement on it definitely confirmed that thought. "M-me?" I just nodded, smiling brightly at her. "W-why me, though? You barely k-know me." I mean, it's true, but that doesn't mean anything. I don't even know my dad and he's still gonna be family to me. Unless he's a psycho serial killer rapist.

I just put a hand on top of hers and softened my smile to a more sincere, warm one. "I see a lot of good in you, Hinata, when I look into your eyes it just reminds me that through all the bullshit in this world there's still good, pure souls such as yours." She opened her mouth to protest that, but I interrupted her. "Even if you do drugs and smoke and stuff, it doesn't make you impure."

What she had said next, though, was the biggest shocker I had received in the longest time. "Meandsakuraslepttogether-oh shit!" Once she realized what she had said, she slapped a hand over her mouth to cut herself off from spilling anymore secrets of hers.

Blinking, I stared at her, before laughing. Softly, at first, but it grew, and grew, and grew until I was surely dying of laughter. It died down as she just stared at me, watching me control my laughter. "H-Hinata-chan, it's ok, I shouldn't have laughed. But you have to understand, I wasn't laughing at you, rather just a bet me and Sasuke made."

Continuing her stare at me, she looked...kinda pissed at me...as she just crossed her arms and narrowed her eyebrows. "Oh, really?" I gulped, knowing that those words signaled the death of many-a brethren. "And what bet would that be, Naruto- _kun_?" Oh, fuck me. This isn't gonna be my day, is it?

Sputtering out incoherent words trying to find the correct answer to evade my death, I started to form a sentence. "Hehe, well ya see..." She wasn't amused by my humorous responses, her stare holding strong. "Er, me and Sasuke made a bet on whether or not Sakura was bisexual or not. He always had that feeling, but we weren't gonna try to force an answer out of her."

Sighing, she relieved her stare from me and uncrossed her arms slowly. "So you didn't bet on us hooking up or anything?" I shook my head quickly, causing her to giggle softly. "Well, I guess that's ok then. But did you guys really think she was?" Oh boy, you don't even know.

"For the longest time we've had our doubts about her sexuality. I didn't think she was bi or lesbian or anything, but he thought something was up. So we made a simple twenty buck bet on whether or not she was. When she got with Sasuke, he paid up but he was glad to. It meant he got her, and that's all that mattered." But shit, that meant...

I had to pay him back, and she realized it too, just smiling. "So now you owe Sasuke twenty bucks?" Just letting out a solid 'mhmm', she laughed again before resting a hand on my shoulder. "Well, it'll be our secret...for now. Eventually everyone will find out."

We both just looked at each other, nodding in a silent yet binding agreement. Then we saw the time. Six fifteen. "Ready to head to the venue?" With the nod and smile from her, we paid the tab and headed out.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV**

* * *

 _October 2nd, 7:00 pm._

We had seemingly all arrived at the venue, Aries, at the same time, as we piled out of the cars we had traveled in. Me and Sakura had a rather uneventful day, just a simple lunch date, the usual. Nothing wrong with that. Sure we were having the lovey-dovey moments like every new couple, but we've been friends for years, so that stuff is coming natural.

Temari and Shikamaru seemed happy, and Shikamaru was in one piece, so that meant that the talks with her parents went really well. He just smiled and waved as they made their way to us, as we exchanged handshakes and hugs.

Hinata and Naruto, the relatively new couple, or soon to be new couple, did the same, as we bantered on back and forth, waiting in line with the forty or so people that were already here. I say soon to be because god damn it's so obvious their both crushing hard for each other but won't act on it.

We got to the front of the line a few minutes later and paid our way in, before going and grabbing something to drink. Non-alcoholic, of course, this place had a business to run and a license to keep. Then we headed out to the back exit smoking patio so the idiots can do their thing. Why they enjoyed the damn things, I have no idea. Maybe if I was a smoker I'd understand.

As we were standing there, I looked at Sakura and smiled, which she returned, knowing what was next. "So Naruto, Shikamaru." I drew their attention to me, as they stopped their smoking and looked at me. "I have a bit of a surprise for you." I pulled out my phone before accessing the video, turning it to them and letting them watch.

Little did they know Itachi, my brother, had been in a band before. Scars Of Ecstasy, or summin' like that. But he had left his drum kit behind for college when they broke up and I had started to play it every now and then. It was in my garage, somewhere we surprisingly never went into, they usually parked in the streets or driveway. Now, I wasn't great, per se.

But I could play good, good enough that I learned the entire EP they wrote by ear in maybe an hour as Sakura filmed me. What they were watching was me playing the hardest song for drums on the disc, the third song 'Innocence In A Sense'. "Teme, you never told us you drummed bro." Of course not. Why not? I don't know.

We never really talked about our musical hobbies, strangely. "Yea, dude. We were actually thinking about teaching you to play guitar so you could be second guitar, but this seems like a better idea." Well, I'm glad they thought about me, at least. Naruto reached into his bag and pulled out a CD, tossing it to me.

It was a copy of the EP, self titled Project:Genesis, with the track listing, times and members on it. "Nice. You gonna hand some out tonight?" He nodded, before taking it back and doing something that I'll admit kind of shicked me. Taking a pen from Hinata he scribbled my name on it, labeling me 'drums'. Handing it back to me, I just stared at it.

"Ne, what do you think about that?" I had to sit here and think about it for a minute. What was the reason of me learning the songs? Was I bored, or did I really want to do this? I loved music, yeah, and this would be the ultimate show of togetherness for us, but is this really what I want? It seemed like all eyes were on me, as I thought about my answer.

Then I smiled, finding the answer deep down inside of me. "Shit, it's official, you guys have a drummer." After I said that, Sakura threw an arm around my shoulder and hugged me, as me and the rest of the guys and girls shared fist bumps. "But what about second guitars?" It was a good question.

Naruto seemed to be full of answers today, as we turned our eyes to him and Hinata, the both of them just smiling. "Well, originally I was gonna teach her to replace me so I could just do straight vocals, but I think I can do both." Hmm, a chick in the band? Any other time and I'd be skeptical, but I have faith she'll rock it.

With a bit more small talk, including talks about when we should practice first, it was time for the first band, Bullet Theory. When we got back inside we found it to be rather decently packed, maybe two hundred people. But more were sure to show up. "So, we gonna mosh tonight?" I asked the two guys, who just nodded.

It was a traditional thing for us, we always brought the pit. "'Suke-kun, be careful, I'd rather not be carrying you out of here." We just laughed a little at the thought of her carrying me out of here. Knowing Naruto, he'd be the one being carried out, typically by me and Shika. But if his texts were anything to go by, he's gonna take it easier tonight.

He was a big two step fan, the 'original hardcore' thing. "Ne, Naruto-kun, are you gonna teach me how to two step tonight?" Hinata had looked at Naruto after asking him the question, to which he just smiled and nodded.

"Of course, it's easy, just follow my steps." It is easy, just not my thing. But it was show time. The lights went dim as the backtracking for the band hit, with them slowly walking on stage. Then the buildup. And then, out of nowhere, it all dropped.

Tonight was gonna be a _fun_ night.

* * *

 _11:45 pm._

And fun it was. I wasn't quite expecting Hinata to pick up on the whole two stepping thing that quick, but after she got used to it man she was killing it. It ended at eleven and soon after the near capacity crowd filed out as we hung around for a minute, handing out CD's and doing promo, adding Hinata's name to them. She was taking it well.

Me and Sakura got home just a minute ago, kicking off our shoes and plopping down onto the bed. We were dressed rather comfortably, me in just jeans, a plain shirt and my vans and her in practically the same thing. Soon after we sat down, she stood up and started taking her pants off in front of me, which meant I had to look away.

But this time, it was different. "Sasuke-kun, it's ok, you can look." I stopped in my tracks of turning around and looked at her questioningly. "I'm staying here, we might as well get used to seeing each other undress." Still hesitant, I sat up on the edge of the bed. "Plus, we've seen each other naked already." Yeah, how could I forget the shower surprise.

I just nodded, as she continued undressing until she was completely naked in front of me. Admittedly, she wasn't the most blessed in the chest or rear department, but I couldn't help but just stare and admire the beauty she had, through all the scars and bruises. This was also the first time I noticed the lines of scars on her thighs.

"Sakura..." I managed to mumble out, standing up and walking up to her. "It's not fair for you to be the only naked one." With that being said, I followed her lead and quickly undressed, locking the door before my mom came in and saw something she didn't need nor wanted to see. I looked back down to her scars, before deciding to make a move, picking her up and laying her down on the bed.

She let out a tiny yelp of surprise, but quieted up, as I gazed at her still body. I moved my head down towards her legs and softly kissed the tops of her thighs, right on her scars, before kissing her stomach gently. "Sasuke-kun...I'm...I'm ready for this." My eyes floated up to hers, strong with determination. Then she uttered those fateful words. "Fuck me, Sasuke-kun."

Not being a man to deny a girl pleasure, I stood up, finding my cock already at full mast. I fumbled with the night stand drawer, reaching in and grabbing a condom. Standing above her off the bed, she sat up and snatched the condom from my hands, tearing the package open with her teeth and putting the rubber on the tip of my erection, pushing it on completely with her mouth.

If I had any doubt about doing this, it was gone when she did that. Flicking the lights off and lighting my two candles, I got back into the bed, kneeling in front of her legs and massaging them gently. "Are you gonna let me see your pretty little pussy, 'Kura?"

Whimpering softly, she nodded slowly. "Yes, daddy." Daddy? I could get used to this. As she spread her legs I took a look at her throbbing wet privates, then scooted up to where I was lined up perfectly with her hole, running my cock up and down it and teasing her as she lightly moaned. "Please don't tease me, daddy." She breathed out.

I stuck just the tip in, feeling her tightness and grunting. "Is this your first time, baby girl?" She had to have liked my name for her, 'cuz her breathing picked up even more as she nodded. "Well, I'll go gentle at first, ok?" Nodding again, I slowly pushed my member into her as she groaned at the feeling. I only got halfway in before I had to force the rest, slamming into her.

Knowing it had to hurt at least a little, I paused for a few seconds until she gave me the ok to start thrusting. And when I did, there's nothing that felt more natural. It started slowly at first, but over time picked up until we found a good rhythm, her moaning as my cock pounded into her body, with us sharing kisses in between thrusts and pumps.

After about five minutes of that, I knew we both were about to reach our limit. "Daddy, I'm about to cum!" She whimpered out, as I nodded in agreement, pumping in and out faster and faster as we rocked back and forth, my limit coming up quickly. We both just looked at each other, and that was the moment it happened.

The best orgasm I can say I've ever had. I bent down and bit onto her neck gently, sucking in as I felt her tighten around me as I shot into the condom, trembling as she breathed and moaned out my name.

We just sat there for a few moments after we finished, before I collapsed onto the bed next to her, huffing and puffing. She pulled the condom off of my now half limp member and tossed it into the trash can, before moving her mouth to my cock and taking it in her mouth and sucking the leftover seed off of it causing it to twitch as I groaned.

She collapsed back down next to me, as we just laid there, staring into each others eyes, smiling contently. I pulled her into me and hugged her, before she turned around and let me hug her backside into me.

For the next few hours, we just laid there and talked about whatever we felt like talking about. From our friends, to the music we liked, to what we thought of Hinata and Naruto being a couple. We both new it was gonna happen soon. In fact, we bet it'd be by the time October ended. Or shortly thereafter. One of the two. Unless Naruto fucked up.

But we didn't talk about the sex, not even a murmur about it. Until just now. "So...what did you think of me calling you daddy?" Hmm. I mean, I did love it then, but the more I thought about it...I actually really loved it.

I kissed her on the cheek and ran my hand up and down her thigh, my fingers tracing her scars. "I loved it...baby girl." After I said that, she flipped over onto her other side, facing me and just smiled, kissing me. "If I may ask, how did you get into the whole daddy/baby girl thingy?"

She just sighed, laying on her back now. "Well, to be honest, that was my first time having real sex, but I've masturbated for the longest time now, like with toys and everything." I mean, that's normal, right? "But I always enjoyed the thought of being tied up, spanked, choked, the normal non hardcore stuff, by the way." It probably stemmed from her abuse, in my opinion.

Nodding my head at her, I surprised her by getting on top of her and pinning her hands behind her head, kissing her deeply before she had a chance to say anything. I broke the kiss after a few seconds as she gasped out. "Well, if you're down, I'm down." Smiling, we jumped into round two, at almost three in the morning.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _October 3rd, 12:15 am._

Me and Naruto had been just sitting outside my house for the past twenty or so minutes talking. Just talking and listening to music like we were friends that had known each other for the longest time. And it made me feel _good_. Better than any drug has made me feel. We were sharing stories of our parents over worrying about our well being.

I know he had a look of sadness on his face everytime I mentioned the words 'father' or 'dad', or something along the lines of that. "Naruto-kun, I know I don't need to say this but I'm sorry your dad left you." Being the man he is, he just smiled and waved it off.

He leaned his chair back and just stared into the ceiling of his stationary truck. "For the longest time I've been playing this game called life solo." As I was about to ask about his past girlfriends, he cut me off, albeit unintentionally. "Kin, Karin, they really meant nothing to me. I hate to say it like that, but they truly were just there to fill holes in my life."

"But eventually you realized they didn't truly love you, right?" He just nodded, closing his eyes. He looked so peaceful just laying there, with his eyes closed and a half smile on his face as the music played in the background.

 _Hello, I'm your martyr, will you be my gangster? Can you feel my trigger hand, moving further down your back._

I don't know what I was feeling or thinking right now. I'm not sure if he even feels the same way that I feel about him. But I do know that I care deeply for this man sitting next to me right now.

 _When you hide, hide inside that body._ _But just remember that, when I touch you, the more you shake, the more you give away._

At this point, Hinata Hyuuga has hit fuck it. As the chorus kicked in, I crashed my lips down onto his, firm but yet soft as he opened his eyes in shock, but then slowly closed them again as we melted into a deep, passionate kiss.

 _Cold! But I'm still here. Blind! 'Cuz I'm so blind. Say never! We're far from comfortable this time._

The kiss continued for thirty seconds or so, before we broke it off. I blushed and looked away, preparing to apologize for my actions, the unexpected kiss. "Naruto-kun...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" I was cut off by him grabbing my chin gently and turning my head to face him.

"It's ok, Hinata-chan, I just wish I would've done it a lot sooner." He kissed me, this time slowly and lovingly, at the same time deep and passionate, as we melted into each other again. And again. And once again. After about fifteen minutes of this, I realized this isn't the best place to do this and broke it up politely.

We breathed a bit hard, before we smiled at each other, laughing gently. "I'm sorry to break this up, but I don't think you want my dad coming out here and seeing this." I opened my door, grabbing my bag as he walked me up to the door of my house. "I'll text you, ok?" He nodded once more, before pecking me on the lips quickly and waving, walking back to his car and driving off.

I just waltzed up to my room and threw my bag on the floor gently, falling backwards onto my bed and smiling deeply, the first real big smile I've felt in the longest time. I couldn't even text him, I didn't know what to say. Till I asked him the inevitable question. _'What does this make us, Naruto-kun?'_

Waiting for his response, I got changed into my sweats and tee shirt, turning the lights off and lighting my candles before plopping down into bed again. Then the text finally came in.

 _"Whatever you want it to be, but I was hoping for 'boyfriends and girlfriend' :)"_

I just laughed, smiling still as I texted him back. _'Well, we're boyfriend and girlfriend then, love'_. Yea, I know, calling someone love right now even though we just hooked up a minute ago is weird.

 _"Yay! I'm so happy, love."_

He's so hyperactive, I think it'll balance out my calmness well. _'Goofball lol, I need some sleep, I'll text you when I get up Naru-kun, night.'_

It was the first night in a long time that I went to sleep without even so much as thinking about the box in my closet.

 _"Goodnight, Hina-hime"  
_

* * *

 **A/N:** Well then, that was the longest chapter I've wrote. Ever. Clocking in at just over 10k, it's insane how much I managed to jam and cram into this chapter, including the inevitable Sasuke/Sakura lemon plus her DD/LG revelation. Next chapter I'll expand on the 'Kankuro is older than Temari and Gaara' thingy. It'll make sense once you hear it, there just wasn't any room for it in this chapter. But anyways, you know the drill. Read, review and if you so choose, favorite and follow. Enjoy, ja ne!


	8. Cold Pt 2

**A/N:** Well, this is a bit of a doozy of a chapter to write. A few major things happen, shit changes, lives get rearranged and flip-turned upside down, and someone dies. Who? Well, you'll have to read to find out ;). _P.S._ I know I was supposed to expand on the Gaara/Kankuro/Temari thingy majigger, but I kinda took a left turn when starting this chapter instead of a right turn and well, ta da, we're here.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to, once again, Evans Blue. Enjoy Cold Pt. II!

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV  
**

* * *

 _October 9th, 9:00 pm._

Boy, was this week was one hell of a week. I finally got fully integrated into Sasuke's house, went and snuck into my house and cleared out all of my stuff, including my _toys_. Yeah, those were fun sneaking past Mikoto-san. Got my car, I mean, it's just been the best week I've had in a long, long time.

Ever since that night with Sasuke-kun, we haven't had sex. No specific reason, just we haven't really felt the need to. That and I think he wants me to have a week to just chill and get fully into the new system of his house. Tomorrow was Naruto's birthday, and we were all set to go have a dinner and everything and just relax together as friends. For once.

Nope, no partying, no drinking, no nothing. He just wanted to chill, Hinata was spending the night with him tonight after her dad surprisingly okayed it. I'm glad to see those two finally get together and stuff. Naruto needs someone he can actually love and care about and not someone who's just a fling that'll eventually take his heart and shit on it.

Right now, I was just cruising through the streets on my recently liberated car, and I realized how much I really missed this thing. The worn out seats, the faint smell that's a mix of cigarette, pot and sun. Nothing could beat this. Well, not _nothing_ , but I'm sure you know by now what could beat this.

To say I was a nymph wasn't a lie, just I never got sex until last weekend. Maybe solo, but that isn't the same as the touch of a real human, as I now know. Maybe tonight will be the night for some more. Ya never know, but I know that I'm definitely ready for some more. I thought it was odd, though, that my parents just...let me go like that. Normally they'd fight.

I know they're not afraid of me telling anyone because well, shit, they have so much legal pull and experience that they could shoot someone and get that person they shot to testify in their defense. Money talks, baby, money talks. And everyone loves money.

But, unfortunately, every good thing must come to an end, as my worst fears were realized. I was being followed. And not by just anyone, but I know that car, a black sports car, coupe, louder than shit. It was my bitch of a mom. And who would you think would be in the red matching car next to her? Yup, my dick of a dad. A blessing occurred in the form of a red light.

A blessing, of course, 'cuz it meant I could text Sasuke and let him know where I am and what my situation is. He said he'd be here as soon as he could be, and I know he drives fast whenever he needs to be somewhere. I mess with him about it, but now is one of those times that I don't really give a fuck.

Still...green light. I took off, trying my hardest to lose them and still stay in the same area, but we were coming up on where this road dead ends into an alley way, the only thing separating me from the alley and eventually the other side of the road was a chain link fence.

Fuck it, the people who own that fence can suck my ass and get over it. I hit the gas, busting through the fence and into the alleyway, driving through the alleyway and onto the main road, turning a hard right onto it.

But they refused to give up, as we were speeding and dodging in and out of traffic, making sharp and last second turns. I finally gained some distance from them, getting down the road and preparing to make the nearest left or right turn I could in an attempt to lose them. But ultimately, they have cars that are made to be fast, and mine, well, no. Not at all.

We hit a stretch that was a straightaway, and in that moment I knew I was screwed unless I pushed this thing as hard as I could, which I did, hitting a hundred and ten, but they caught up just as quick, boxing me in on either side.

My bastard attacker took that moment to start reaching for his gun, no doubt to threaten me into pulling over so he can take possession of me again for god knows what. When he did just that, I pulled a move that I saw in an action movie last night with Sasuke.

I slowed down quickly and turned onto the opposing side of the road, hitting it as the two followers of mine tried to turn around and follow me again. It was only a minute or so before, again, they were boxing me in, staring at me with the eyes that only the sickest motherfuckers own. But this was over, and I was done with this game. It's been going on too long

"Sasuke, I love you, and I'm sorry." I whispered out as a tear fell down my eye, before taking a sharp left...right into my dads car. All I could see was my car flipping over and over again as his slammed into the guardrail, ejecting him from the car. That was the last thing I saw, as my car finished its flips, landing on it's roof.

And then it was all just got darker and darker. "Sasuke..." I whispered once more, as the light disappeared, and I slipped into the realm of unconsciousness.

I suppose that this is my fault, I should've just stayed with my parents, grit my teeth and bared it. But then I would've never known the feeling of true love, true passion or anyone that wholeheartedly cared about me.

Maybe I'll never feel it again...

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _October 9th, 8:00 pm._

Right now, I couldn't dream of a better way to spend the night before my birthday than with the girl that I love, Hinata. She brought her guitar over, so we could just sit here jam. But she was trying my electric guitar right now. "Hey, right here, Hina-chan. Yea, put your thumb right there, it helps with power on the push down." She was learning quick.

She could play great already knowing how to work an acoustic, it just took her a minute to get used to the power chords of electric. Smiling and nodded, she did as I said, and sure enough, she was playing the songs with ease in no time. We were a bit off from being able to play live shows, but we were getting there.

Sasuke cracked the code on his footwork, so he was really solid, and Shika was already good enough to play with us, I just needed to re-familiarize myself with playing bass fully. Yeah, it's the best idea because it's simpler than hell compared to regular guitar, so it'll be easier doing both vocals and bass.

Of course, you have those bassists that just take it to another level, but this wasn't anything special. Just fast, loud and angry. Emotional, yes. I suppose anger is an emotion. And it's one of the most powerful emotions next to love, lust and happiness. The latter must've been contagious, 'cuz Hinata's was sure as hell infecting me.

"You ready for the play-along?" She asked me, as I nodded and hit the footswitch that powered the click into our in-ear headphones. It came naturally to us as we played, flowing together, like two rivers that meet and mix together perfectly. It didn't take much longer for us to get the rest down, with more time to work on it with the group.

We were booked for a show on the night before Halloween night at Club Roxy. It was a popular club for the strange people like us, who listened to metal and not pop and didn't do designer drugs like cocaine and ecstasy. With a capacity of a little over six hundred and knowing they put on shows that damn near sell out on normal nights, I knew this was gonna be a bang.

And we were booked to go on at eight thirty, with thirty minutes to show our stuff we needed to get another song down and a cover, because why not. But we were booked above three bands, which made us feel really good. These bands were very established as well.

Everyone took to the EP well, leaving reviews on Leafbook saying that this is something the hardcore scene here has needed for the longest time. Honest, hard hitting, pissed off hardcore. Like a druggie needs a fix, we're the suppliers for the drug known as hardcore.

About nine thirty was when we finished and headed up to my room to relax and listen to music. My mom was out at the bar with Mikoto and Hinata's dad, Hiashi, for some reason. I guess they've known each other for being in the business with each other for the longest time. That left me and Hinata to relax, cuddle, listen to music and just get high.

Of course, that all changed when I got an obviously distressed text from Sasuke, and what I saw made me sober up quicker than someone busting in my door and screaming 'hide! the cops are coming!'. The text in question was pretty straightforward. _"Naruto, get to the hospital ASAP! Sakura was in an accident and she's in a pretty bad spot. You can guess who caused it."_

I jumped up quickly, throwing my shoes on and tossing my phone to Hinata. "Hinata, read that text and then get ready, I need to go get my keys from my moms desk." She had moved my car earlier when she was leaving after I blocked her in.

Hearing the resounding 'oh shit' and scuffling of her feet, I knew Hinata knew just how dire and important this situation is to me. We wasted little time in scurrying out of the house as fast as we could and taking off to the hospital. The last part of that text, though, is what has me thinking. "Naru-kun...do you think..."

"Yea, yea that's exactly what I think..." We both thought the same thing. If it was really just an accident, Sasuke wouldn't have said something like that, but it wasn't just an accident. We all know who exactly could've done this, the sick bastards. If this is as bad as it seems to be, I hope they're fuckin' happy. I just growled at the thought of her bastard parents.

Talk about the quietest car ride ever. No music, no talking, we just rode on in the twenty or so minute car ride to the hospital. Somewhere along the line, Hinata creeped her hand up to mine, which was resting on the shifter knob. She rested her hand on top of mine, brushing her fingertips over my knuckles gently and leaning her head onto my shoulder.

It was the longest twenty minutes of my life, just thinking about what I might find when I get to the hospital. This was one of my best friends, someone I considered a sister to me, and now...I don't know what state she's gonna be in. More importantly, how Sasuke is handling all of this.

Subconsciously, I started humming out the tune of a song I couldn't help but hear in repeat in my head. We cruised into the parking lot, handing the attendant exact change and retrieving the parking slip from his outstretched hand.

After we parked, I slid out of my seat and walked over to Hinata's side, opening the door for her and helping her out. As we were walking up to the door, her fingers slid in between mine and grasped onto my hand firmly, as I returned the favor, reaching the front reception desk. "I need the room number for Sakura Haruno, or at least the waiting room area."

She handed us a small printout map of the floors, pointing us in the direction we needed to go to. Room 372, that's where she would soon lay. We stepped into the elevator, as it coasted up to the third floor, which was apparently and ICU floor, which only made me worry more. "Maybe it's a precautionary thing, Naru..." I barely heard her nimble voice.

Hearing her reassuring voice made me feel better, as I just turned and looked at her. We shared a quick kiss before the doors opened to the floor we had arrived at. Around the corner is where we found the waiting room, occupied by Sasuke and his mom, Mikoto, each in their own chairs, the former dark haired person with his head in his hands.

He didn't even notice me walking up to him, only recognizing my presence after I put a hand on his shoulder. "Dobe...thanks for coming." Standing up, he engulfed me in a deep hug, a hug we rarely shared. Hinata was next, giving him a small hug as we took seats next to him.

It was shortly after that the inevitable question was asked by Hinata. "How's Sakura doing, Sasuke?" Truth be told, we weren't sure if we were even ready to hear the answer he had for us. Not like we had a choice, it was inevitable, after all.

His face went sullen for a second, before it cleared up, right before he spoke. "Initially, we thought it was worse than it was, but she got lucky she was belted in. Overall, she has some internal bleeding caused by a few broke ribs, what they punctured is to be determined. Other than that, she has a concussion, and a dislocated shoulder from the impact."

So in a sense, she basically had a bucket list of injuries that aren't terribly bad, but combined they were a nuisance. And the aforementioned internal bleeding, which could be bad. "So, what happened with the dickhead that caused this?" Another inevitable question.

This was when things were gonna get tricky, I felt, as he deeply sighed. "Well, the thing is, no one saw the accident, but her dad was the other one involved." Hearing about him made me growl. "But, they said they had to be side by side, and either she lost control of her car or slammed him. The only thing saving her from a case is he had a loaded gun in his passenger seat."

Slowly but surely, this all started to be pieced together in my head. "So, what I'm thinking is he tried to threaten her into pulling over and coming 'home' with the gun, and she did what she had to do and rammed him. Make sense?" We all nodded together, the pieces fitting perfectly.

"Of course, we have to wait for the police to talk to him, which they are in room 394." Before I could ask anything about him or seeing him, he held his hand up to hold me off. "He's not in a good spot, he's terribly injured because he didn't buckle up, and they already said he denied any healthcare." He...denied having his life potentially saved?

I don't quite understand. And I didn't get the chance to think anymore, as a police officer showed up, calling me, Hinata and Sasuke over to him. "The man wants to talk to you three, for some reason, we've already collected his statement, so I imagine he wants to say goodbye." The officer stated with authority.

Escorting us to the room, he took his spot on the side of the door, with another stationed at the other side of the door. He was locked down pretty well. We walked in and there he was, broken, bandaged and somehow conscious. He started to speak, voice rugged. "I know, you have some hateful words for me, but please, listen first."

As much as I wanted to lunge forward and strangle the man, Sasuke sat down wordlessly, surprising me. "I will listen, as will we, but know if I don't like what you have to say, I will walk out of that door in a heartbeat." And we will follow, naturally.

Nodding, he began. "First, I don't want any of you to take any of this as me trying to excuse my actions. With that, I'll begin. I'm not gonna make another few hours, and I'll be leaving this world. I never meant for any of this to go this way, but I'm a sick man. For the longest time, ever since Sakura was eight, I suffered from delusions, and it changed me to what I am."

I guess he sensed me trying to speak, as he cut me off. "These delusions were fed by my wife, the bitch, seducing me and tricking me even further into my delusions to feed her sick desires of me doing this." Breaking down into a fit of coughs, he breathed in sharply. "I must move on, though, to my apologies. After getting here, they discovered my issue and fed me the right meds, calming my delusions and giving me the time to sit here and reflect on what the hell I just did."

The room was a sickening silent as he prepared his final statements. "I can see clearly now what I did wrong, and am accepting it, but I want to apologize to you guys, for me putting her through this. Mainly you, Sasuke. I know you will take care of her better than I did, and I'm entrusting you to it. Apologize to everyone for me, please. I have it written in my statement, but hearing it from you guys might make them believe it more." Chyeh, no lie.

It was silent again, until Sasuke spoke a minute later. "I trust you, and I accept your apology." Now that was the biggest shocker of them all, but I can see some of his sense in it. "But, what's gonna happen with her mom?"

Letting out a soft laugh, Sakura's father smiled. "I had the police go and pick that bitch up, she's in custody now for what she's done. With my last statement, I said as much as I could and had the police record it, so if you want you have my permission for a copy of it. Use that in court to put her away, it's my last request." We all nodded, as he sighed. "My time is coming, please tell Sakura I never meant to hurt her, but I understand if she never forgives me."

We left the room, somberness washing over us as we collected a copy of the statement from the police, heading back to Sasuke's mom.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV**

* * *

 _October 10th, 1:30 am._

Time flew by slowly, as we found ourselves in light talk about what Sakura's father said. He passed thirty minutes after we left, with a smile on his face. In his statement, he said in the week before this he managed to have a lapse of thirty minutes in his delusions a few days out of the week, and managed to put a letter together for her, along with a will.

The will was pretty exclusive, pretty much giving Sakura _everything_. The house, the money, everything besides one thing. He wanted all the pictures of him and his wife together to be burned, along with all of her stuff. Then he wanted us to piss out the fire. Harsh, but understandable.

The doctors were silent with news ever since we got here, but just now, a doctor in his scrubs and everything stood in the doorway of the waiting room, clearing his throat to catch our attention. "Y'all here for Sakura Haruno?" He said, in a deep drawl as we nodded. "Well, we have some news now." He mosied into the room and took a seat.

"She's stable now, she'll make it." All of us breathed out a collective sigh of relief. "The bleeding wasn't bad and we set her ribs, the concussion was prevented from being terribly bad by the fact that she was buckled in, and the shoulder wasn't much of an issue."

I looked at Hinata and Naruto, as we shared a smile. Turning to the doctor, I had to ask the question. "Can we see her yet?" I didn't care what she looked like, I needed to see her, even if it cost me all the money I had.

Fortunately, it was free and very possible. "Of course, she's heavily sedated naturally, and won't wake up until sometime in the afternoon tomorrow, but you can surely go visit her if y'all so please. Just follow me." It was just a minute until we stood in the doorway of her room. "Just remember, if you need anything, ask for doctor Into." He bowed out, surely to go rest.

And there she was. Breathing lightly and bandaged up. She had a few cuts on her face, but other than that she was unblemished. I just walked up to her bedside, taking her hand in mine and raising it to my lips, kissing it gently, my lips brushing across her knuckles. "Sakura-chan..."

It pained me to see her like this, and had the events a few hours ago not happened, I'd be chasing her dad down and castrating him by hand for putting my princess in a situation like this. But he's repented, and if she's gonna move on from this she's not gonna need hate in her life, she's gonna need love.

And me, being her boyfriend, will gladly oblige and provide her with as much love as she needs. We were all mostly silent as we listened to the beeping of her machine. "Sasuke, me and Hinata are gonna run to the store and get some stuff for her, do you want us to stop by your place and get you anything?" It was about now when I realized how glad I was to have a friend like Naruto in this situation.

I grabbed a piece of notebook paper and started writing a list. "Please. Just some clothes for me, which you can get, and Sakura, which Hinata can get." Also, my phone charger, a notebook with fresh paper, my pencils, random snacks, and..."Pocky, get me some damn pocky."

After having a little laugh at my sweets request, they departed, leaving just me and my mom here once again. My mom wasn't talking much, I could tell she was in pretty deep thought about something. "Sasuke-kun." I turned and looked at her, her voice drawing my attention. "You can vent to me now, you know." God was she right.

Ever since we got here, I managed to keep myself in line but I never had a chance to show my anger. Dropping my head and pounding a fist into my leg, I growled deeply, finally feeling the release of anger. "You know I'm angry, of course, but I can't do anything about it. I want to sit here and yell and curse her mom and dad, what good will it do though?" He was dead and she was locked up.

This was all over. That's it, no wondering, no nothing. Eventually yea, we'd have to testify in court. But I have a feeling her dad's testament, in detail, will shorten that process. He was a well liked man. I took another look at Sakura and her sleeping form, only wondering what was going on in her head...

* * *

 **?-POV**

* * *

 _?, time: unknown._

So, was this death? I was just floating in the air, nothing but darkness all around me. I gotta admit, it was pretty relaxing, feeling absolutely nothing at all. It was unlike any earthly feeling, it was just complete numbness to any pain, or even any happiness, just nothing at all. No blue, no white, just grey.

If this was really death, then I don't really feel bad anymore for anyone who said they would join their lover, friend or family member in death. I could spend eternity in here with my beloved. Did I have to be naked, though? I feel like that was an unnecessary thing. But I digress.

Did I really want to be dead? So many questions, so little answers. Not like there was anyone around to answer them anyways. Heh, makes sense though, it only seems likely that I spent my entire life alone, might as well spend death alone too. I wonder if I should try to move? And...nothing. What did I expect?

Questions, questions, questions. And wondering, lots and lots of wondering. Wait, is that a star? I don't know, but there's a tiny little white dot, glowing like fire, directly above me in my eyesight. It got a little bit closer, before I realized it's not a dot, it's...a person. An old man, gray haired and bespectacled.

 _"Hello, Sakura."_

What the fuck? How did he know my name? And why can't I speak yet? This is so unfair, he can talk to me but I cant even talk back. _"Fear not, granddaughter, I can understand your thoughts very well."_ Hmm. 'You can?' He just nodded, floating over to me and laying a hand on my forehead. Then we came crashing down, the scenery warping around us.

He landed before me, catching me in his arms and putting me down gently. _"I'm here to answer your questions, but first, you must see a few things, we can handle all the questions afterwards."_ It was then when I took a look around, realizing we were just outside of a house in a rural area, must be early nineteen hundreds houses. Maybe.

Leading me into the house, he confirmed my thoughts. _"We are indeed in the nineteen hundreds, nineteen-forty one to be exact."_ We were in the Land Of Tea as well, which is where I knew our family got it's origins at least.

We stopped in the living room, where a young, eighteen-ish year old boy was sitting, lacing up a pair of army boots, dressed head to toe in his camo field outfit. Then a girl came into the scene, again about his age, accompanied by a middle aged woman. The man stood up, hugging the two women with tears in his eyes, kissing the young one on the lips and older one on the cheek.

Floating alongside him as he grabbed two duffle bags and headed out of the door, he got into a green army truck, tossing his bags in the bed and hopping in, waving goodbye to the two women. Once again, we transcended time and space, warping into another scene.

It made sense to me now, he was an army ensign, and now, we were taking a look into his training. Why is anyone's guess. "Down, maggots! Up, maggots! Down, Maggots! Up, maggots!" They were doing push ups in the middle of the snow, while being doused in water. Focusing on the young man, he was quivering from the cold.

A huge drill sergeant walked up to him, planting his boot on his back and drilling him into the snow. "Private Haruno, is there an issue with the training we're giving you?" The young man shook his head no with gusto, as the drill sergeant just nodded, backing off and continuing his cadences.

We flashed forward to a few weeks later, according to the old man accompanying me, to the day they shipped out. I knew what was going on. This was the second great war, where a co-axis power led by the Mist village and including a fledgling now-defunct Metal village and a now-defunct Dream village wanted their shot at global domination, staging attacks on the Sand village.

The whole of the Land of Fire tried to see if Suna could handle it themselves, but they were overtaken quickly, which is when Konoha and the Stone village intervened, fighting hand in hand for the first time since the war in nineteen-fourteen to nineteen-eighteen, the first great war. The Lightning village gave minimal support, wishing to stay neutral.

After we got involved, including the Land of Fire bloc including Tea, Flower, Sun and Demon villages, the tide was turned. Which was our next stop, the landing invasion in nineteen-forty four on the beaches of the Mist village. But first, of course, backstory filler. _"What, you don't like filler?"_ Oh no, it helps me piece this together easier actually.

"Chomps, Bragg, you guys ready to kick some major tail?" The still unnamed man asked two similarly dressed men next to him, who responded with a resounding 'hooah!'. From what I gather, these guys have known each other since basics, serving and fighting together. The young, war torn man looked at a picture of the young woman from earlier, smiling softly.

They sat around sharing stories of what was waiting back home for them, from women to comfortable beds, hot meals, warm showers...peace. This was all before things went awry, as history would tell you.

Piling into landing craft one by one as the sergeants and commanders yelled their orders, it was time to begin, and see what lay ahead for them. They sat silent as they motored on to whatever laid ahead for them.

Then the craft opened, and the bullets started flying. To be able to witness a battle as fierce as this firsthand made me wish I was back in the dark, in the comfort of my own thoughts. Bombs went off, men were gunned down left and right from the machine gun turrets placed strategically in the bunkers at the head of the landing zone. Eventually, they made it to the concertina wire line safe from the murder zone.

What followed was the teamwork of three best friends, taking down a smaller gun nest, before they stormed the bunkers, clearing them out with ease. As I expected, we were far from over. Fast forward again. _"This is when he was kidnapped along with his squad of six men three weeks later."_

Including the two men from earlier, as they were apparently the last three left. They were sat at a table side by side, with two armed soldiers in the room accompanying the captain of what had to be Mist forces due to the dull gray and minor blue fatigues they were wearing. "Last chance, where is the main command post!" And now torture.

What was the point of this? I was told in due time, but I wanted to know now. The young soldiers, brave at heart, denied the question an answer. The Mist captain, annoyed, pulled a pistol out and shot the two men on either side of the young man in the focus of our journey. The young man just sat there, unfazed.

It was over, we moved forward to the end of the war in May of nineteen-forty five, as he was welcomed home by the two women. He smiled and hugged them, but of course this isn't over.

Like a slideshow, years passed over our heads. Times got hard, he was suffering from PTSD, lashing out at people for no reason sometimes, suffering from delirium and anxiety. They had a kid a year after he came back, and twenty-two years later, in nineteen-sixty eight, the kid's son had a kid, and they named him...Kizashi.

As the years passed by even more, I got a glimpse into the family life of him, his father, my grandfather, suffering from schizophrenia. And so did my dad...then my mom came along. She was fine at first, but then I saw her hiding his pills, coaxing him into doing those horrid things to me, for her sick satisfaction. It made sense to me now more than ever.

This whole thing started in the war, and now years later, it still haunted my family, and me. We transitioned into a room, lit up, grey walled, with three chairs in it, one of them occupied by my father. _"Sakura, darling, meet you grandfather, Kyuushi Haruno."_ If I could've fainted at any time, I would want it to be now.

Instead, I rushed into my fathers arms, crying my eyes out, suddenly finding my strength to move and freedom of voice. He shushed me, petting my hair like he did when I was just a little kid. "D-dad, I'm sorry this had to end like this."

 _"Dear, our time is very limited, so I must go through this with what time I had. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stop your mother, but before I passed, I told the police the entire truth, and they have her in custody. Find your strength, little flower, and make sure she never sees the light of day again. I left you a will and a letter that goes into greater detail, but I must depart. I'm sorry, I love you..."_

With that, he vanished, onto the next realm. I sat for a few minutes silent, taking in everything he had just said. "So...I'm not dead then?" The figure, my grandfather, shook his head no. _"This is just a passing through realm, or a waiting room, if you will. But, my time is also limited. And you must be going too. Good bye, darling granddaughter."_

He left, too, as I saw the door that would lead me home, labeled as such. Before I left, I heard another voice, a familiar one, calling out to anyone. It reached my door, and I walked to the door and opened it, finding a girl, kneeling at the door, long flowing blonde hair on the floor, weeping. Her wrists were carved up, dripping blood. Then the figure looked up, as I gasped.

She asked me a simple question. _"Did I finally do it, ne?"_ I slowly walked backwards, backing into the door and falling through its frame, the door gave from me backing into it.

And like that, I gasped again, my eyes flying open and back into the real world.

* * *

 _October 10th, 3:45 am._

I breathed in sharply and shot my eyes open, drawing the attention of the four attendants in the room. "Ino!" I cried out, before breaking down into tears at what I just witnessed. They all stood up immediately, crying out my name in shock. I got my composure together, before speaking. "S-Sasuke, you have to go check on Ino!" He just eyed me.

"Sakura-chan, it's ok, you just woke up." They didn't believe me, and because of that, another person was gonna die because of me, first my father and now a girl I used to call a friend of mine. I wasn't about to let that happen easily, though.

Reaching out and grabbing Sasuke's hand, I looked into his eyes and pleaded with him. "I know, but please, trust me, you have to go check on Ino!" They still looked at me weirdly, as I cried again. "Please, please! If not, she's gonna die!"

Sasuke must have got the message, as he shushed me. "Ok, ok, Naruto, please go drive over to the Yamanaka's and check on her. If Sakura is this serious, please go." I sighed in relief, until he settled his eyes on me again. "While they go, me and you are gonna need to have a talk. Tell me exactly why you're so adamant about this."

I looked him in the eye, taking a glance at Naruto as he grabbed his bag. "She tried to kill herself, and I saw her. I saw her, Sasuke-kun..." I couldn't hold anymore tears in, as I broke down again, openly sobbing into my lovers chest. He petted my hair like my dad did, which helped but hurt too. When I calmed down, I went rigid and still, before speaking three simple words.

"I've seen everything." We didn't get much of a chance to talk before the doctors came in, checking on me, my vitals, just anything they could think of. I guess they could tell I was mentally unstable, because before I knew it, the head psychologist of Konoha was in my room, dressed in just regular clothes. I must've woke him up.

He looked eerily familiar, but I brushed it off, as we started with the preliminary questions. "Hello, Ms. Haruno, I'll be your psychological therapist for the duration of your stay and, if necessary, onwards from there. How are you feeling this morning?" Shit, where do I start?

Adjusting myself in the bed and getting more comfortable, I cleared my throat. "Well, its four fifteen in the morning, I'm on two different painkillers and a muscle relaxer, suffering from a concussion and I can't barely move my left arm." I'm missing something, though. "Oh, and I just went through a vivid mental show that featured my deceased grandfather and father. But I'm ok."

Ah, sarcasm, one of my strongest points. "Nice, sarcasm, I was indeed informed about the mental show. Can we talk about what exactly you saw and how it felt for a little bit?" I mean, it is your job, isn't it?

Sighing, I started going through the story, starting with the beginning and the boy, going through the motions, the war, the capture, the torture, and then the moment where he hit a drag. Thinking about it more I saw more things than before. Through all the struggling, my great grandfather and grandfather never lost their faith in their family.

Then it came to the end of the visions, or whatever you wanna call them. "That's when she looked up at me, and I knew who it was. I was so shocked I walked backwards and fell through the door. And here I am." The psychologist person scribbled away on his notepad while I just sat there, my hand in Sasuke's. He sure liked to write, if I'm being honest.

With a little grunt, he looked back at me. "Do you happen to know the girls name?" I nodded, with an affirmative 'mhmm'. "And, do all of you happen to know who this girl is?" I know he's trying to make sure she's real. Sasuke and his mom both nodded. "What's her name?"

I rubbed my eyes, yawning deeply before shaking my head a bit gently. "I-Ino, Ino Yamanaka." When I said her name, he froze up and just stared at me, asking me to say it again. "I said Ino Yamanaka, she's a junior with us at Konoha High...oh shit." Just then I realized who this guy was.

Inoichi Yamanaka, the best psychologist in Konoha. And I just told him that his daughter was dying. Like he didn't think I was crazy before, he must now. "T-that can't be right, she's home, safe." Scrambling his words together, he looked at me and Sasuke. "You sent someone over to my house, right?" We nodded in unison. "Call them, eighty-two ten is the gate code, her room is the first one down the hallway to the left, purple door."

Sasuke had scrambled for his phone, as I looked at Inoichi. "Has she been depressed or suicidal before this?" It's not everyday that someone randomly tries to end their own life, especially not in a good household.

"She's had bad anxiety and depression for a while, but she's always put on a smile and hid behind her gossip corp. to make her seem happy. I should've kept an eye on her tonight, it's the two year anniversary of when her dickhead boyfriend left her crippled and depressed." I remember now.

Ino was going out with this senior in her freshman year, when we still talked. But this guy was basically using her for sex and stuff, and when he got bored a few months later, him and a bunch of other seniors mentally abused her until she broke, snapping on him. Since then she was labeled crazy. I see now she was using the gossip thing as a means to cope with being used like that.

After that she cut me out of her life, so she could get more popular, more friends, more everything. Everything I couldn't give her. I'm praying she makes it, though. No one deserves to feel like that.

"It's done, they're in."

Let's hope for the best.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _October 10th, 4:20 am._

"Ok, ok Sasuke, alright, got it, we're in. Bye." Sasuke had called us to let us know what the situation was now. The stakes seemed a bit higher, not only was Sakura counting on us but her dad was, too. Naruto looked at me, as I nodded, and swung the gate open quietly.

We trotted in quietly, as to not wake anyone around us up. I was mentally preparing myself for what I might see. Was I really ready for a situation like this? I didn't have an option, I needed to be strong. This is someone else's life on the line, not mine. If I fail here, it could mean someone loses a family member, a daughter, a friend, and I can't let that happen.

It took us a minute but we found her door, slightly creaking it open and finding an empty bed, cursing softly. But her bathroom door was left open by a hair, light spilling from it. The situation just got a bit more certain.

Walking to it, we looked at each other one more time before slowly pushing it open. "Oh...god..." There she was, laying in the tub, blood all over it and her. "I-Is she still breathing, N-Naruto-kun?" He walked up to her, checking her pulse and breath.

Nodding, he motions for me to come over to him. "We haven't got much time, grab a towel." I found one laying folded on her bed and tossed it into Naruto, who started to help stop the barely trickling blood. "I'm gonna carry her, go get the car door please." It was crunch time.

I watched as he scooped her up and started walking with her in his arms. Moving swiftly, we made it out to his truck, as I threw the back door open and he laid her down on the bench seat in the back, before running over to the drivers side, getting ready to bolt. I decided it was the best idea if I sat on the floorboard back there with her just in case.

And we were off, he threw it into drive, accelerating rapidly as he sped onto the main road, jetting off towards the hospital. "I'm gonna call the hospital and let them know in advance that we're coming in hot, ok?" I asked Naruto, trying to be of the best use I can possibly be, to which he nodded and thanked me.

Simple phone call, they told us to go to bay number three and there will be someone waiting there for us, including Inoichi I'm sure. All the time we were on the way, we didn't speak unless it pertained to the situation at hand. Understandably so, it wasn't the best of situations to just be chatting away in.

What was an almost thirty minute drive took maybe ten as we blazed through the city, finally reaching the hospital at ten till five. Naruto threw the truck into park as the medical personnel rushed out, waiting for me to get out before transferring Ino onto a stretcher and carting her into the ER, talking their doctor argon, twenty of this, get her to room whatever for doctor whoever, and so on and so forth.

Inoichi came out a minute later after finding out that he couldn't be with them while they patched her up, and just stood next to us as we looked on to them disappearing with her. "I can't thank you guys enough, you saved her life. I owe you guys her life." He outstretched his arm to Naruto who firmly shook it, and gave me a firm one armed hug.

We stood there for a few minutes more before we went to move the car, still silent. I think this is gonna take a minute to sink in. We parked on top of the parking garage, where no one else was. Naruto got the idea to grab the old blanket he had in the truck bed and lay it out inside it, inviting me to lay with him.

And we did, we laid there for about thirty minutes, and then it hit me, as I let a few tears out. He pulled closer to him and just held me, whispering into my ear that it was all gonna be ok, and that I did great, telling me that Ino will be ok. I cried for a solid ten minutes, dampening his shirt and chest with my tears.

Right now, I felt uncomfortably numb, not knowing what to feel right now. He had stopped cuddling with me for a minute to answer his moms phone call, and soon enough she was on her way up here to speak with Inoichi. And then Sasuke called us, letting us know that Sakura was asleep with him and Mikoto was going home, so that meant that we were free to go back to his place.

I had texted my dad and let him know exactly what had happened, though I'm sure Mikoto or Kushina had said something, considering Mikoto was at the bar with them when she left to come here. Kushina, Naruto's mom, had to go sleep a bit of the alcohol off before she did anything. I'm guessing she's sobered up by now.

It was a safe bet. "C'mon Hina-hime, let's get headed to my place." He could tell I was exhausted as he picked me up and set me in the seat. I was nodding off when we were headed there, and I was barely conscious when he carried me up the stairs and into his bedroom, gently laying me down.

He helped me get my shoes off, sliding them off my feet. Yawning, I sat up and sleepily stared at him as he took his shirt off. He stared at me and just laughed, confusing me. "Wasso funny, Naru?" I managed to sleepily say, as he walked up to me.

He kissed me on the lips, and it was like a shock of electricity shot through my body, waking me up and drawing me into him. I melted into him almost quite literally, 'cuz I reached my arms around his neck and drug him into bed with me, throwing his legs over each side of me and pinning my waist down as he deepened the kiss.

We both took a deep breath in after we broke the kiss, looking into each others eyes. "Hina, I love you." He spoke in a way that sent a shockwave down my body, surging through my spine.

"I love you too, Naru." We kissed again, this time just a short kiss. He got off of me, and I stood up, walking to my bag I had left here and grabbing my sleep clothes. It was just a simple big tee shirt, no bra, and a pair of sweat pants, no underwear set up. No bra or underwear because it got uncomfortable really quick, and I enjoy my sleep very much.

I walked out of the bathroom and put my dirty clothes up, before sliding into bed with him, as we found a comfortable position rather easily, his arms wrapped around me. They were positioned under my breasts almost perfectly, and his, er, hip area was pressed squarely against my ass. I prefer to sleep without pants, but yea...

Neither of us could find sleep easily, which is when we realized that the curtains and shutters were wide open, letting the six thirty am sun spill in. He was about to get up and close them, but I was closer to it and got up, moving over to the shutters and curtains and closing them, shutting the sun off from us. And then I had just about enough of pants.

Looking at Naruto, I just smiled at him. "I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, Naruto-kun, but I can't stand sleeping with pants on." So I started sliding them off, as he just stared at me, specifically my legs. "And, we might as well get used to seeing each other naked, so..." Ok, don't know what came over me, but I don't care.

Lifting my shirt over my arms, I bared my chest for him, and I could tell he was enjoying the view, as he was just speechless. Then I got an idea, another random but don't care idea. I moved over towards the bed, crawling in and putting a finger over his lips, hushing him before kissing him, letting my hands wander down to the shorts he was wearing.

I unbuttoned them, as I continued kissing him, letting my hand wander into his pants, feeling his erect member through his shorts, admiring its length and girth, must be about eight inches. Thank god this plan doesn't include actual sex, I have a feeling I'd be sore for the next few days. He slid his shorts off and kicked them to the floor, his boxers following shortly after.

With his erect cock exposed, I trailed kisses down his defined stomach, wrapping my lips around the tip, licking and kissing it as he moaned out quietly. I put as much of it in my mouth as I could, making it about five inches down before gagging, coming back up for air. Repeating this process, I massaged his balls with my hand.

He breathed out that he was getting close, to which I moved over to his side of the bed and kneeled down onto the floor, instructing him to stand up. I rubbed his cock fast, edging him closer and closer to climax. It hit him hard, as I aimed his tip at my face, letting him shoot his cum all over it. A 'facial' as it's called, I guess. I can understand why, though.

After he coated my face, I let him stare at it for a second, as he huffed and puffed. "H-Hina, that was awesome." I aim to please, after all. I guess all that practice with the toy Sakura had given me paid off after all. It wasn't that hard, to be honest, just don't bite and watch your teeth, other than that, just find a rhythm.

I went into the bathroom and cleaned his love juices off my face and brushed my teeth, climbing back into bed after throwing the shirt back on. Turning and looking at him, we just stared into each other's eyes, and kissed. We made out for a few minutes, before we stopped. "Happy birthday, Naruto-kun." I spoke sweetly, hugging his body into mine.

Kissing the top of my head gently, he breathed out a chuckle. "Yano, with everything going on, I kind of forgot that today was my birthday." I'm sure everyone else knows, but we've all got things to deal with. Shika said he would've came and visited, but his parents were being dicks.

Still shook up over the revelation of the situation, I guess. "Did you like my little _gift_ Naruto-kun?" I put emphasis on the word gift, and I felt his now limp member twitch a bit, as he nodded his head rapidly. "Good, because there's more where that came from. I am a newcomer, so you can _train_ me, no?" Was I trying to kill him? All this teasing will make a man die eventually.

Nodding again, I felt him shudder just a bit. "Hina-hime, why are you teasing me?" Tis a good question, my dear, long dicked blonde boyfriend, and the answer that you'll find is a rather simple answer. Maybe not the one you want, but it's the one you'll get.

Looking up at him and putting on the sweetest of sickeningly sweet smiles, I kissed his cheek gently. "Because I like seeing you squirm, Naruto-kun." Twas true, it was fun no matter what the day is. "Just because I'm a virgin doesn't mean I don't know my kinks, baby. Me and Sakura did spend a lot of... _time_ together." It was funny seeing him try to gather his strength.

But then he just stopped, and smiled at me. I gulped, not knowing what I just got myself into. He reached a hand up to my throat and clamped onto it, kissing me deeply on the lips a the same time. Leaning towards my ear, he whispered into it. "I had to let you have a little fun, hime, but now it's my turn." His words were like turning on a faucet.

When he said that, I got that feeling in my nether regions, as they started throbbing. Running a hand down my legs and between my legs, he starts slowly circling a finger on my clit as he continues kissing me, tightening his hold on my neck. I tried to grind my pussy against his hand, but to no avail.

Once he was satisfied enough with playing with my clit, he ran two fingers slowly and agonizingly up and down my pussy, teasing my entrance multiple times. I see now why I shouldn't have messed with someone who's experienced in sex. He knew exactly what spots to hit, how hard to choke me and where to kiss me.

Moving his mouth down to my shirt-covered boobs, he gave me a look that said 'take this off', and I did. Once I got the shirt off, he started licking and sucking on my nipples, sometimes rough and sometimes hard, biting on them. All the meanwhile I was trying not to moan out loud, didn't want to wake anyone up. "Oh...Naru...please finger my dirty pussy..." I lightly moaned out, and he obliged.

He inserted a finger and automatically found my g-spot, causing me to cry out in ecstasy as he fingered me until I couldn't think straight anymore. It didn't take long before I was ready to cum, yelling out his name as I let out my orgasm all over his hand, leaning back and breathing heavy as he sucked my juices off his fingers. "Mm, tastes good, Hina-hime."

It was right about then when I realized there was a song in the background, a familiar one.

 _You're so endearing, you're so beautiful. Well I don't look like they do, and I don't love like they do, but I don't hate like they do. Am I ever on your mind?_

He sang out the words to me, making me just moan in happiness. "I shouldn't have teased you, but now I'm really glad I did." Naruto just smiled, heading to the restroom to wash his hands off, before getting back into the bed with me.

"No more sexual things right now, ok?" He told me, as I knew we were both exhausted.

"Deal." He wasn't wrong.

This is gonna be a fun, fun fucking month.

* * *

 **A/N:** After this, guys, I'm going to do a time-skip to the morning of the night before Halloween, the concert night, and give an update on how they have progressed. That's right, no NaruHina sex scene for his birthday, you'll have to wait just a bit more. So be looking for the catch-up chapter on Wednesday next week, but enjoy, for now, Cold Pt. II. As usual, read, review and if you feel inclined to, I always enjoy favorites and follows. Ja ne!


	9. Hardwired

**A/N:** Well here's chapter number nine and it's decently long, and hopefully a good read for you guys and a good catch up chapter. Doesn't mean it wont have it's moments that aren't just catching you up, we have the concert, over shenanigans and a bit of a surprise at the end of the chapter, so read it all if you will!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto, nor any of the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to Breaking Benjamin and Metallica (I'm gonna use them a lot, to be honest.)

 **A/N #2:** I'm now about to take ideas on any side pairings/stories/scenes y'all might wanna see, so if you have any ideas, let me know by reviewing or PM me. I want to diversify the story a bit and also cater to y'alls requests, so if it pleases the crowd (albeit a small crowd) please do so and I'll see what I can do!

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _October 30th, 2:00 am._

Yep, just another night with me and my love, Hinata. These past three weeks have been pretty interesting. Ever since morning of my birthday that me and Hinata spent together, we haven't done anything like that since. I mean, she might have given me a couple of hand jobs, but that's it. We haven't felt the need to, honestly.

I think she's ready for the whole thing, but like everyone else, she's scared. I know she wants it, but I want it to be something special and not just random sex, because we just felt like doing it. Nonetheless, these last few weeks have strengthened our relationship more and more, and it's the strongest one I've ever had. We had a few dates since then, but we mainly chill.

Like tonight, we had a practice with Sasuke and Shikamaru before the show. We've all spent a lot of time together, along with Sakura and Temari. It's been a weekly occurrence for us to just get together, eat, go to the movies, and the like. As we reach the holiday season, I can feel our family grow closer and closer.

Speaking of family, me and Shika have been working and researching constantly to see if we can find anymore clues as to who my father could be. I always think to myself 'am I ready to know?' and, well, I'm not sure if I'm really ready to know the truth. It could make or break me, but at least I have friends that'll help me.

Just like we helped Sakura. A week after the incident, she was released from the hospital. The recovery process was going quicker than we thought. Her ribs were practically all healed up, the internal bleeding thing was taken care of, and she felt a lot better. Her shoulder was healed and good again, and the concussion, since it wasn't as bad as it could've been, was taken care of before she even left.

Yea, she still had a few kinks she needed to take care of before she was fully healed up, but she was a lot better than three weeks ago. We went and testified against her mom a few days ago, and she got sentenced to fifteen years, no parole. That was a weight off of her shoulders.

It was a tense trial, her mom was adamant that Sakura was 'asking for it' and enjoyed it, but the judge, a new one that couldn't be paid off by her, saw through it all. In the end, everything has worked out in our favor. Sakura put the house up for sale two days ago and immediately got offers. It was quoted at two hundred thousand, but with location she has an offer of close to three hundred.

Needless to say, she's doing good right now. She hasn't been able to drive much, but she did go and look at getting a new car. She sold her dads and scrapped her moms car along with hers getting close to ten thousand just from that. All in all, we're believing she's got close to a million dollars on her bank collecting interest. 'Rich bitch' in her words

So yea, she's doing pretty smashing right now, speaking of smashing...one thing I didn't need to know was that she was into the whole BDSM thing, but she just had to tell us one day when she was hopped up on her painkillers and weed. Sasuke said a prayer that she was the submissive in this case, not him. I felt for him too, as did Hinata.

Sasuke, as far as I know, is as happy as he's ever been. and rightfully so. He had his girlfriend living with him, they've spent a lot of time together growing and getting to know each other in a deeper sense. Almost too deep, but oh well.

One night when me and Shika were doing research with Sasuke, Shikamaru confided in us that he was planning on proposing to Temari on Halloween night, their one year anniversary. After he told us the entire story of when he told her parents and his, I don't quite blame him for doing it so soon. They're happy too. All of my friends are happy.

Temari has been moving along in her pregnancy well, the first month she barely started showing but it's almost been two months, so it's getting there. No weird cravings yet, thankfully for Shika, and no mood swings, even though she's already bipolar. So I guess it would be just normal for them. But he's planning a big night for them coming up.

Just a simple dinner at her favorite restaurant here, O'Johnsons, a Irish eatery that sells the best stew ever. Literally, paired with the garlic and cheese beer bread, its the best stew I've personally ate. And, of course, he's gonna take her to get her cinnamon roasted chestnuts from the nut place, and then take her up to the lookout point, overlooking the village.

In hindsight, that's a really good plan. I don't see it failing at all. Nor do I want it to fail. He got some advice from Hinata and Sakura, who told him that's literally the best plan he had right now for a girl like her.

This all came along with the news that Kankuro and Gaara were actually adopted, hence why Kankuro is graduating this year and why Gaara and Temari's birthday's are so close. Too close to actually be blood related.

Now, Ino. After that night, she stopped her gossip squad stuff, and even sat with us at lunch a couple of times, but she hasn't talked much. Kiba didn't like how she ended things so suddenly, but once he caught sight of who had her back, which was me and the whole crew, he quickly backed off. Smart man, for once.

Unsurprisingly, he's dating Karin, who's Kono Highs new resident whore. Ugh, I can' believe I dated that thing and stuck my woodpecker in her birdhouse. Ugh, I also can't believe I used that term to describe sex. Bad Naruto, never again.

Back on track, I can tell Ino is starting to open up to us more, and when Sakura invited her out to the Roxy for the show later on, she looked like she was going to go. Naturally her wrists were all scarred up, and I can tell she's insecure about it, but other than that she's been dressing more modest but still cute, not like a street corner hooker on crack.

That leaves me and Hinata. Ah, yea, we've been really well. Me and her dad have gotten along since day one, both finding an interest in jazz. Jazz has been a influence in my musical tastes for a while, but it's mainly a closet thing. But it's good we get along, if not, this whole thing wouldn't go too well.

Hanabi, Hinata's sister, on the other hand, seems to think she needs to know every aspect of our relationship. I know she's a thirteen year old girl and curious, but some of the things she asks are just a little awkward to handle. Especially the sexual questions. She's been 'seeing' Konohamaru, Mr. Hiruzen's grandson. Poor kid, I feel for him

Me and Hinata, like I said, are as strong as can be. With the limited time I've somehow managed to keep our relationship spicy and interesting without sex. Like the other weekend we went and bowled all night before getting a bunch of ice cream and pigging out in my truck bed at a spot where the river Seishin flowed through the northeast part of the nation.

Hiashi had invited me on a...fishing trip...next weekend. Rather random, but according to Hinata he really is a good fisherman. He used to do it all the time until her mom died and he focused all his attention on healing as a family and keeping their bonds intact and strong.

I don't really blame him, though, if mine and my moms bonds weren't as strong as they are, I'd have a hard time accepting her answers, or lack thereof, about my father. Again, I'm content with life right now, but don't blame a brother for at least trying to find out the truth.

Right now, I was just focused on the beautiful lavender headed girl in my bed, as we were just smoking a blunt and jamming out to the old school tracks that we loved. Anything from Bohemian Rhapsody to Slayer to Metallica, and Sublime. It was the perfect night, to me, no excitement, just me, her and each others company and words.

"Love, can you hand me the lighter please." Her calm and soothing voice could serenade a Tasmanian devil to sleep. I handed her the lighter as she lit the blunt, right about the time that we heard the front door open. My mom was back from the bar, and she had company, which I suspected was Sasuke's mom, judging by the voice and the laughs they're sharing.

As usual, we extinguished the blunt and prepared to spray the room, but we didn't get the chance before the reached my door, knocking on it. "Naru-kuuuuuun, whatcha doin'?" Oh lord. I motioned for Hinata to put her shirt on. Yea, she's gotten quite comfortable just lounging in a bra and sweatpants when she's with me.

After she had gotten her shirt on, I walked up to the door, cracking it and looking at my mom and Sasuke's moms smiling faces. "Ma, you already know what we're doing, you just want me to say it so you can bust my ass." It's the truth, every parent does that shit. They could catch you red handed and want you to admit out loud what you did.

She laughed a bit before shaking her head. "Yes, son, you're smoking that cruddy skunk weed. You need to try some of the good shit." And then she pulled out a bag, filled with lush, green pot, slightly red and purple in color.

"You smoke weed, mom?" I asked, quite curious. She didn't seem like the type of person to do anything like that. Then again, running a company is quite the stressful gig. Shaking her head, she made the motion for 'yes and no' with her hand, before pushing my door fully open. I didn't attempt to stop her, I know better than that.

Her and Mikoto walked in, taking a seat on my bed and grabbing a cigar package. "Not really, but me and your mom do every now and then. It's usually when we need to relax after shitty meetings, but tonight we just felt like it." Sasuke's mom smokes too, what the fuck. "Oh, and we just feel like fucking with y'all tonight." Well thanks, Mikoto.

It wasn't long before we were all getting higher than the water demands in Suna. I guess this was a bit more of a bonding experience than I thought, I learned things about my mom I didn't know, and some I didn't quite want to know, like the time her and Sasuke's mom made out at a spring break beach party back in the day.

Can someone say blackmail, though? I'll file that for later, right now we're blaring Journey, at three in the morning, while eating leftover pizza from earlier. It was weird getting high with my mom and my best friends mom, but hot damn the shit she had was dank.

She had just told us a story about Hinata's dad getting so drunk back in their twenties that he put a lampshade over his head and ran around proclaiming that the people of lamp-land were coming to exterminate all who weren't wearing the protective gear of their people-a lampshade. "No way!" Hinata managed to speak while laughing her head off.

"No lie, hun, he was a bit of a trip back in the day." My mom said, passing the blunt over to me. I don't know what this shit is called, but imma need to get her dealers info. It's not every day when you find shit this dank in Konoha, let alone anywhere. Barring the Land Of Vines, something about the name and geography makes sense.

I hit the green filled cigar, and was about to pass it to Mikoto before she waved her hand at me. "Nah, me and Kushi-chan are about to retire to her room to do what every other group of girls do." Which would be _what,_ exactly? Never mind, I don't think I really wanna know.

Nodding, my mom and Sasuke's stood up and exited the room after saying their goodnights and farewells, leaving me and Hinata with enough dope for a double header. "Well, that was...interesting...ne, Naru kun?" Couldn't have said it better myself, my love. It really was interesting. I looked at her and smiled, to which she answered with a kiss to my cheek.

Grabbing my phone I threw on our chill playlist, awkwardly full of Journey, Billy Joel and classic rock hits. "Definitely interesting, I can't wait to tell Sasuke about this later on today. Speaking of which, how're you feeling about getting on stage and playing in front of hundreds of people?" We were a band, yes, but her well being was more important.

She took a deep drag off of the blunt, inhaling deep and exhaling the cloud into the sky. "Well, I'm high right now, so I don't care, but when I'm sober of course it'll be nerve wracking." Understandable. "But, I'll persevere for you guys. This is more than just me, it's all of us." Gotta love the dedication.

Giving her a stern nod, I scooted closer to her spot on my bed. "And they'll appreciate that a whole hell of a lot more than you think. So do I, seeing you be strong makes me happy, 'Nata-hime." She gave me a smile, that turned mischievous really quick.

"Oh really? And do you mind coming over here showing me exactly how much you appreciate me, huh Naruto-kun?" You little devil, you. I leaned it, cupping the back of her neck with my hand and giving her a deep kiss on the lips, causing her to fall onto the bed on her back, giving me ample opportunity to mount her.

Moaning into my mouth, I slipped my tongue into hers, with her following suit. Whatever got into me, I didn't care as I started working on removing her shirt, which she didn't fight, only helping me by sticking her arms up. After getting her shirt off, I took a look at her curvaceous body, my erection showing my approval of it. My shirt came off next.

We continued our session, her bra and my pants coming off somewhere along the line. "Naruto-kun." She breathed out into my ear, turning me on even more. "I know you may not think I'm ready, but I am. I want this now more than ever." While it's true I'd prefer to wait, I can't tell her no. If she says she's ready, then let's do it.

I stood up, helping her off the bed and kissed her again. "If you think you're ready, then I can't tell my princess no." She removed her sweatpants and panties, before sinking to her knees, dragging my boxers down and letting my cock spring forward.

"Well then, let me warm you up just a bit." I realized she must have practiced more, because she hasn't done this since three weeks ago, and her skills have gotten a ton better. She took me into her mouth, swallowing almost all of me, before bobbing back and forth, working it in and out of her mouth, as I put a hand on her head, guiding her along.

Stopping to give my cock a lick up and down its length, she took my jewels into her mouth, sucking on them and releasing them with an audible pop, all the while using her hand to rub me along the way. She returned to sucking it, moving at a slower pace, taking more and more in her mouth until she reached all eight inches, pausing.

She held it there for a few seconds, before removing it, sucking in air and looking at my erect member, which was covered in her spit. Smiling, she did this a few more times, knowing I was getting close to the edge. I signaled this by grunting and tapping her shoulder.

Not stopping but once to point at her tongue, I knew what that meant. Keeping on her rhythm, I found the edge soon, filling her mouth with my hot seed, watching in astonishment as she swallowed every last drop of it, opening her mouth to show me. "All clean, love." Okay, maybe she's more ready than I thought. Now it's time for the main event.

I picked her up, laying her on the bed and reaching into my night stand, the universal spot for condoms, and grabbed one, affixing it to my aforementioned rock hard cock. Kneeling in front of her, I leaned in and gave her forehead a kiss. "Are you ready, princess?" With a joyful 'mhmm', I slowly starting leaning it into her, moaning at the same time.

Whimpering, she moaned out in pleasure of me entering her, my girth spreading her insides out and widening them along the way. I stopped to get her ok to continue, which she gave me. I found the perfect rhythm, pumping in and out of her, moaning and grunting with each pump.

Capturing a nipple in my mouth, I gave her dual pleasure as I nibbled on her nipple while my cock continued it's pleasurable assault on her insides. "Mm, Naru, harder baby." Was I supposed to say no to that? Over time I picked up the strength and speed, as her moans picked up, becoming more labored and sporadic.

With that, I knew she was reaching her limit, and it wasn't long before she cried out in loving ecstasy, releasing her juices all over my rubber-covered cock. But I wasn't done. I let her cool off for a few seconds before flipping her over onto her hands and knees. "Have you ever had multiple orgasms in quick secession?" It was a good question.

She shook her head no, to which I replied with a firm slap to her ass, burying myself deep into her still trembling pussy, causing her to 'eep' and scream out in pleasure. I reached up and grabbed her hair, pulling back gently as I pounded into her again and again, her moans for more driving me along.

I'd sporadically give her rear a slap, making her moan and groan out. It wasn't long before we both hit the end of the line, moaning out together, her squirting her juices onto the bed and me into the condom, as we both collapsed.

We laid there for a few minutes, before I got up and cleaned myself up, throwing the condom into the trash. I walked into the room to find her already having changed the sheets, and she was just laying there, a happy, exhausted look in here eyes. Crawling into bed after shutting the lights off, I kissed her quickly on the lips, curling up next to her body.

"Love you, princess."

"I love you too, my prince."

I wonder how Sasuke's night is going...

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV**

* * *

 _October 30th, 2:45 am._

"Mmm, I'm cumming!"

With that, it was the first successful time we had sex since the accident. The other times she was in too much pain and we ended just masturbating together-not complaining, it's actually really cool-or I'd end up going down on her or vice versa. Either way, we were happy right now.

Things had gone well with her last and hopefully final trip to Inoichi. Not that he wasn't a good therapist, just the more visits she had to have, the more it meant she hasn't fully recovered. I'd say she's doing pretty well, she only has nightmares every now and then, but I'm always here to help her through them.

Inoichi said that it's good she has someone that she trusts to help her through the whole nightmare thing, 'cuz after a while they'll stop coming, her body will realize she has nothing to fear and that she has someone here for her. And she always will have me, if I have anything to say about it. I'd imagine I do, since, well, I'm involved in the relationship.

She let out a sigh of happiness, looking me in the eye and smiling. "How was that for the first time in a while, 'Suke?" Mind blowing, exhilarating, fulfilling, and all around just awesome. Of course we couldn't do the whole tying up thing or any rough stuff just yet, I'd hate to explain that one to the doctor's.

"Absolutely amazing, baby girl." I kissed her, pushing into the kiss a bit as she moaned out, enjoying every last bit of it. We broke the kiss, just grinning at each other. Life couldn't be much better right now. Naturally, I was wracking my brain on the show coming up later tonight. Calm and cool on the exterior, sure, but on the inside?

I was mentally tearing myself apart. I had broken the drum kit apart earlier, getting it ready to load into Naruto's truck tomorrow, along with the amps that Naruto, Hinata and Shikamaru had picked up from the music store. Thankfully, I was easy. I had a simple five piece kit.

A snare, two rack toms, a floor tom, and a kick drum. Not including the crash, ride, china and hi-hat cymbals, which were easy to load and unload. Naruto, on the other hand, had his bass, The two guitars, Shika's two guitars, their personal amps and heads, all this equipment and it was a hassle. But I know we're ready. Hinata is a wild card, but we trust her.

I'm sure Naruto is doing _something_ to take the edge off of her. What that something is, I don't know and I probably don't want to know. We were allotted thirty minutes to fuck shit up and get the place moving. It was a venue with no barricade, and the stage was about waist high, so it was a stage dive heaven.

Back to my bubblegum haired girlfriend, I'm not the kind of person to say that I'm 'proud' of partner, but in this case I've actually been really proud of her strength. In the month or so we've been together, her strength has improved more and more daily, and it makes me feel good that I could help her along.

During her moms trial was when she showed her strength, staying strong even during her mom's tormenting insults and accusations, and even though she had a mini breakdown afterwards, it was ok. She made it through, her mom is gone for fifteen years, and we have time to recover and grow together as boyfriend and girlfriend, together.

That's the part I'm really looking forward to, the part where we can grow together and get to know each other as more than just friends, but lovers and as partners in this game called life. And we have the best makeshift family to do it with, even if we're all handling our own issues right now, with Shikamaru and Temari's baby and Naruto with his studies.

But we'll always be there for each other. I reached over for my phone, checking the time. It was three-ten in the morning, fourteen-ish hours until our load-in at five. We all agreed to meet at my place at three thirty, load up and go get something to eat as a group before the show. I know my mom and Naruto's said they would go to the show.

My mom, however, hasn't been home all night, going out with Naruto's mom all night and drinking. I'm assuming that she's staying there because she didn't take her car to the pub, opting to ride with Ms. Kushina. If I didn't know better, I'd confuse them for lesbian lovers, which...ew...just, no. Anything but that. Still...

She's been swearing to me she's gonna get back into the dating game, but she hasn't, leading me to believe she hasn't quite forgotten about the last man she was with, my father. Where he went, nobody knows, but we've speculated that he went somewhere towards the Land Of Iron to escape the city and become a top notch blacksmith.

Whatever his reason being, he's a douchebag for it, and I hope he dies...okay maybe not die, but seriously suffer from, I don't know, HIV or summin' like that. Why I'm even thinking about it I don't know, I have everything I need. Friends, family, money, love, I've got it good compared to the people in the slums of Konoha.

"Hey, 'Suke-kun, you ok? You seem, like, spaced out or something." Her voice broke my consciousness from wandering, drawing my attention back to her naked, reclined form on my bed. My eyes grazed over her curves, from her small, petite feet, to her smooth, shaved legs. On the way up, I caught a glimpse of her still scarred thighs, and the curves of her hips.

Next was her flat stomach, up to her small but defined and perky breasts, and then her face, her plump lips, green eyes that hide years of pain, and her pink, upper back length hair. "Yea, I'm ok love, just thinking about how far we've all come in these past few weeks." She nodded in acceptance, standing up and getting her night clothes.

After brushing her hair, teeth and getting dressed and whatnot, we laid together, enjoying the music playing in the background, the light of my candles flickering against the wall illuminating the room just the right amount. Everything was sound.

 _You're so cold, keep your hand in mine. Wise men wonder while strong men die._

I snuck my hand into hers, snaking our fingers together as we lie there, forgetting about everything that's been going on in the past few weeks. "Are you ready for the show later tonight, Sasuke?" Chyeh, was I. I was more than ready to get out there and rock, nervous yes but more than ready.

This was either gonna be really, really good, or we were gonna bomb really, really hard. I was voting for good, but the uncertainty is killing me inside. But I still smiled while replying. "More than ready, 'Kura-hime. Now, I don't know about you but I really need some sleep, especially after, well you know what." I turned and shared a kiss with her.

I did need some sleep, dreaming of the stage.

* * *

 _3:30 pm._

Jesus time really flew, as the crew started filing in, Shika and Temari in his car, Naruto and Hinata in the truck, and my mom with Ms. Kushina in her SUV. The last two looked hungover as all hell and were sporting mischievous looks on their faces. What happened last night, I have no idea, and frankly my dear I couldn't give a fuck if I even tried.

"Aye, Sasuke! Ready to load 'er up?" Yep, Shika, ready as ready can be. Piece by piece we slid the equipment into the truck bed, making small talk along the way while the girls all gossiped and chatted, especially about the baby. Get them started about a baby and I swear they'll never shut up.

Through googily eyes, awes, no ways and giggles, what about I'll never know, we were ready to go. We chased each other to the closest fast food place, Taco House. Not the best place to eat right before getting on stage. Even though it was at eight-thirty, we had to be loaded in by five and ready to sound check by eight twenty/eight twenty five.

Which meant we had five to ten minutes to set up and get ready to play. Standard, really. Doors opened at six, show at seven, starting with Inojin and his band Republic Seven, a deathcore band, seven to seven thirty, after them it was a hardcore/metalcore mix band Advocate from seven forty five till eight fifteen. And then us.

We played from eight thirty to nine, then it was another hardcore band that was more 'brutal', Iron Fist from nine fifteen to nine forty five, metalcore act Revive The Act from ten to ten forty five and from eleven till twelve thirty-ish AM it was motherfucking Hatebreed. We were all super psyched to see them finally, and we were sharing the same stage as them.

To put it lightly, Naruto was more nervous about playing right for them than the fans. Understandably so, too. They really shaped the sound we had of angry music. I wish today could just fast forward to our stage time, even though I've never been on stage I'm dying to get up there and fuck some shit up.

The set-list was really simple, an opening little jam thing we've worked on, Circles, Reprimand, Overthrow, Weather, Bending, Aftermath and Revival. Or C.R.O.W.B.A.R., for short. Overthrow was a new jam we all somehow threw together in a few hours, it clicked so well that we decided to fine tune it and play it at the show.

It'll eventually make the full length album. That's thoughts for another day, it's time to grub down now. We filed into the poor taco joint and ordered, finding seats next to each other. "So Hinata, you ready to play?" I had to ask, even if just to gauge her reaction or her answer.

Surprisingly she smiled and strongly answered me. "Mhmm, Naruto-kun has more than got me ready and hyped up for this." I don't know if that was a lowkey shot at if they had sex or not, but personally I don't think we want to know. If it was, good shit Hinata...and Naruto too I guess. It's hard to brag about your best friend sleeping with, well, your friend.

Just then, Naruto got the most mischievous look on his face, turning to my mom and his and smiling as the color drained from their faces. "Ne, ma, isn't that kind of what you and Mikoto-san did back in college?" What? Oh god, please tell me that I didn't jinx myself. Anything but this.

My suspicions became further confirmed as they blushed. "Just because two women have a random make out session in college doesn't mean they're gay for each other, Naruto-kun!" I swear if there was anyone else in here, I'd be embarrassed, but for now, I just laughed. Don't know why, but I laughed my ass off, to the point of tears.

Soon after I realized that everyone was staring at me and my sudden outburst, glaring for an explanation. "Ok, ok, ah...that was funny as hell." They still weren't happy, continuing the glares. "Alright, you can stop staring at me. I was laughing because I was wondering why you rode with Ms. Kushina and thought that if I didn't know better, I might've confused you two for...lesbian lovers."

Gauging the two elder women's reactions, they went from pissed, to calm, to smiling, to laughing all together. "Oh man, son I didn't mean for you to find out like this but yes, we did have our nights back in the day when men couldn't...fulfill our needs." Ok I've heard just about enough now, covering my ears with my hands.

Sakura must've thought I didn't notice her and Hinata looking at each other with a look in their eye that signified something secret, but I did. I'll always ask her later when I've got her in the palm of my hand. And by hand I mean dick. But the food is here, and it's time to grub out.

It was four thirty by the time we finished eating, and with a twenty minute drive to the venue, we had to book it in case of traffic, which was unlikely on the road we were traveling on. About five minutes into the drive, my curiosity got the best of me. "Ok, what was with that look you gave Hinata when we were eating?"

Choking on the smoke she just inhaled from her blunt, she sputtered out incoherent words trying to gain control. "W-what? What do you mean a 'look', Sasuke-kun?" Don't try to lie, 'Kura, you know I can see right through them. I stared at her, causing her to sink into her seat.

"Don't lie, 'Kura-chan, or I might just have to _punish_ you later on tonight, after the show." It was a low blow, but a needed one to get her to spill the truth. She knows that whatever she has to say I'll be patient with it, especially if it happened before we got together. I can't control her actions when she's single, nor now, unless it's sexual.

Then she mentally prepared herself to speak. "Uh, ne, you remember the party we went to a month or so ago?" I nodded, intrigued by where this is going. "Er, well, me and Hinata kind of, uh, slept together." Come again? "At the party, in a spare bedroom. And we did something a bit earlier in Josie's changing room." Was she really afraid to tell me _this_?

Fuckin' 'ell, that's actually..."Hehe, that's actually kinda badass, 'Kura-hime." She gave me a look that asked the question 'really?', and it really is pretty badass. "It really is, love, I can understand why Hinata wouldn't be able to resist your...tongue _skills_." I ran my hand between her thighs, feeling the heat and semi-moistness. "I see you know what I mean."

Whimpering softly, she bit her lip. "S-Sasuke-love, not now, we can do this later." True, we were pulling into the venue right now, after tailing the convoy of car, SUV and truck. I followed them to the parking lot for the crew and bands, as Naruto pulled his truck around to the unloading area.

We were greeted by a suit with a clipboard checking us in and discussing the free drink clause, which Naruto never informed us about, and the pay, which was a simple five hundred bucks. Not bad for our first show, it's a hundred each, but we decided to consolidate it and use it to but upgrades on our equipment.

And we agreed to use EP sales to fund our merchandise production, which was about to include a shirt with our name, Project:Genesis, on it, along with the tagline in small yet still readable catchphrase Kono-HXC under it. Pretty simple, but when you're selling them for a tenner per shirt you can't expect anything really special.

But we were here, as the sudden realization set in once we were done stacking the gear in the waiting zone, Inojin's bands stuff already on stage, with the headliners gear, minus drum kit, on the backline covered with black cloth. Headlining here has its perks after all. "So, we get free drinks all night?" I saw a light go off in my moms and Naruto's moms eyes.

We all slowly nodded, knowing that this venue was in for it. "We can drink too, but the counter won't give it to us, they have a license to keep, yano?" I threw that in there, insinuating that they'd have to get our drinks for us. Cops never came here, something about the venue having it's connections.

"Well, normally you know we'd say no, if we're buying your alcohol you'd be staying home, but tonight we'll make an exception just 'cuz." We all smiled, as the two adults headed out to grab us some drinks. Once they got back, we all took a seat and started discussing the show in general.

Namely how we're gonna get the crowd hyped up. "Ne, I've seen you guys start the pit before at shows, why can't we just sit down there and watch the first band and some of the second one and get in there?" Not a bad idea, really, I don't know what type of crowd we're gonna have tonight.

We all agreed in our own ways, nodding or just smiling. "Hey guys! Ya know me, Inojin, Ino's cousin?" The long, blonde haired senior at Konoha High came up and greeted us, sporting his stage garb, and holding a beer in his hand.

Waving to him, we offered him a seat at one of the picnic table's we occupied on the backstage porch. "Yea dude, you guys ready to rock this place?" Naruto asked, sharing a handshake with him, which he returned firmly.

Smiling he gave us a thumbs up. "Hell yea, I gotta admit when I heard we were opening and a new band got the middle spot I was a bit peeved, but then I saw it was you guys. The EP was absolutely killer, and what you did for Ino, well I can't thank you enough, even though me and my little cousin rarely speak, she's still family, so thank you again."

I'm sure over time the word got out about us and the car accident, trial and whatnot, so I guess we inadvertently got free press from it. "It's no problem at all, Inojin. Even if she's tried to cause us problems we can't ignore a situation like that." Nicely spoken, Hinata, nicely spoken.

We stayed and conversed before we decided to head in fifteen till Republic Seven hit the stage, refilling on drinks and taking a spot near the middle of the floor where the pit should be. "Holy hell, there must already be three hundred people here." Sakura exclaimed, as we took it in. In an hour and a half, this floor would be even more full.

"No lie, we're gonna have a killer crowd for this." It's optimistic thinking, but I know there will be at least this many watching us. The lights dimmed about ten minutes later as the orchestral backtrack hit for Inojin's band. I'll admit I never really listened to them, but they're apparently crushing and technical. So yea, this'll be fun.

 _"Konoha! We're Republic Seven, and this song is called Destroying The Temple Of The King!"_ It was in that moment we realized we weren't needed to open the pit, as the crowd started it the second they hit the stage, before the song dropped with a simple growl from Inojin. It was a warzone, with blast beats and fry screams, and breakdown's galore.

Their set progressed, the pit getting rowdier and rowdier after each song, until the final song, when they slowed down and played a slower back rhythm as Inojin spoke. _"This is gonna be our last song, and I'd like to dedicate it to the band that saved my cousins life, Project:Genesis. Stick around for them! This song is Cries For Saving!"_

The second the song kicked in, it was back to fast, technical deathcore over the screams and growls, as more and more bodies filled into the venue and the pit grew bigger and bigger, as bodies slammed into each other, including Naruto and Shikamaru's. They couldn't resist getting in there.

After the set, we headed backstage again, bumping into Inojin again as he was unloading. "Dude, thank you for the shout out onstage, we're gonna have a killer crowd hopefully." I went up and thanked Inojin, giving him a simple 'bro hug' as did Naruto and Shikamaru, before Inojin gave us a military wave, smiling brightly yet still huffing from being onstage.

"Don't mention it, consider it a present from a veteran band to a younger band, au revoir!" We decided to stay back for the second band, mentally preparing ourselves and running through things in our heads before we hit the stage. And before we knew it, Advocate was finished, leaving us to load in.

About fuckin' time.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _October 30th, 8:15 pm._

So, this is what it felt like to be onstage, in front of what must be five hundred people. I was nervous just loading in the amps and plugging them in with the help of Advocate's guitar crew, who decided to help us knowing we were new and stuff.

Slinging the guitar over my shoulder, I stood around rather awkwardly as Sasuke sound-checked his drums. I was situated to the right of Naruto, left of the crowd, meaning my check was last. I was given a pair of in-ear monitors by Naruto, who said he'd help me do my sound-check, smiling and kissing my forehead.

Soon, Sasuke was done, as was Shikamaru and Naruto, which meant it was me. _"Guitar two, do your thing_. _"_ Came through my earpiece, startling me until I saw where it was coming from, a smiling sound tech who waved at me. Whatever my thing was, I don't know, but I just copied Naruto and Shikamaru, strumming some rhythms until I was comfortable with the volume level.

Next was mic check, which thankfully I didn't have one, seeing what the two boys were doing, yelling into the mics, which I couldn't do. "Hinata, are you fine with my mic level in you ear?" Huh? Oh yea, it was ok. I nodded agreement as we headed off stage, with five minutes till we played.

Naruto was apparently good at pep speeches, as we huddled up together, quickly smoking cigarettes to kill the edge. "Ok guys, we all know what to do, listen for the clicks, which are numbered by the edge of the song titles on the setlist by your standing spot. Any questions?" Well, actually, one big one I failed to ask before hand.

I raised my hand slowly, sheepishly smiling, as they looked at me for my question. "Yea, uh, what exactly am I supposed to do when I'm on stage?" I know to play the guitar, but like what about headbanging, moving around and stuff?

The answer I got was simple and unclear, at least for the time being. "Hinata, love, just lose your fucking mind." Whatever that's supposed to mean, I guess I'll figure that out when I got up there. But it was time, as the 'hype man' introduced us, we strummed an open note, heading on stage and looking at the set, the number four next to the 'intro jam' song.

With four clicks, we started running through the intro jam, which was maybe a minute and a half long, but the people were already headbanging and getting the pit open, losing their minds. Losing their minds...it clicked to me, I gotta lose my mind. Forget about everything else.

Which I did, bobbing my head along to the beat for the last seconds of the song, before taking my power stance as Naruto introduced us again. "What's up Konoha!" The close to six hundred people crowd yelled back at us, as I lifted my right hand in the traditional metal horns. "This song is Circles. Give me a circle pit!"

Again, one, two, three and four. We were off, thrashing along to the rhythm, Naruto screaming the words as the crowd did their thing. The show was moving quickly, the crowd getting more and more into it, two-stepping and moshing harder and harder to each song, with us getting more and more energetic each time.

Before I knew it, it was the last song, Revival, and I got another one of my hair-brained ideas. Stagediving into the barricade-less crowd at the beginning of the song. Which was about to start, with Shikamaru playing the slow, build up rhythm. With a scream of 'Let's go!' from Naruto, I absentmindedly heaved myself into the crowd, who caught me like I was a feather.

I looked back up on stage, catching a glimpse of Naruto's face of shock, as I thrashed about in the crowd, for a minute or so, before they set me back on the stage, conveniently during a part where I didn't need to play, right before the last breakdown.

After which, we were done, heading off stage and tearing our equipment down quickly, placing it back into the loading area. We were joined by Mikoto-san and Kushina-san, accompanied by Sakura and Temari. I could tell they wanted to mention my little escapade, but no one would.

That was, until we all got a drink and a cigarette. Then, and only then, did Naruto say something. "Hinata-hime, uh, what exactly was that on stage?" I was feeling kinda proud, choosing to give him the same answer he gave me.

"Well, love, I lost my fucking mind." Staring at me with shock for a few seconds, it wasn't long until they all started laughing, hugging and high-fiving me. Even Inojin and his band came and gave us congrats on a good show.

We stayed till the end of the show, drinking and having a good time, even moshing, especially during the headliner. After we loaded up, we headed out, Shikamaru and Temari opting to head straight to his place, as we followed the adults and Sasuke to the latter's house, where we unloaded the gear. After hanging out for a few minutes, we bowed out to go home.

It was almost one thirty in the morning, anyways. Once we got home, we were lounging around in the living room with Kushina-san talking about anything that came to mind, smoking a couple blunts of some more of her stuff, not as good as the last stuff, but still pretty good.

Which brought Naruto to this question. "Mom, where did you get that stuff from last night, and what the hell was it called?" I know we still had some left, but we were saving it for later on, since it was high quality stuff.

She just giggled a bit, which made me worry a bit. "Maybe one day I'll say where I got it from, son." Standing up, she yawned and stretched. "Oh, and as for the name, it's simply called lover's blend, known for hiring a couples, well, you know what level." Oh, god, I understand now. No wonder we...wait, she was smoking it with Mikoto, so...

"Ms. Kushina, does that mean you and Mikoto, well, ya know?" With a grin, Naruto's worst dreams were confirmed, as he groaned and buried his face into a couch pillow, as I just laughed along with her. "There's no judgement here, Ms. Kushina."

Heading off to her room, she waved goodnight to us, as me and Naruto headed to the bedroom. We sat in silence for a few minutes, before I slowly reached into his drawer, grabbing the 'lover's blend. "Hey, love." Naruto turned and looked at my grinning face. "Wanna have some fun?"

With an equally big smile, he grinned. "I never thought you'd ask".

And so we were off on another trip.

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV**

* * *

 _October 31st, 2:00 am._

Me and Sasuke just got done taking a shower together, as we snuck back to our room still naked. In the process of getting to the restroom, we forgot our clothes. We shut and locked the door before laughing at the fact that we almost got caught by his mom, missing her by a millimeter.

I don't know about you, but I have a plan to get laid tonight. "Hey baby, wanna see my _special_ Halloween outfit I have for you?" And like any other normal man, he nodded eagerly. Kissing him, I pushed him down onto the bed. "Stay there mister, and don't bother getting dressed." I headed into the closet, shutting the door and hitting the light switch.

Grabbing the bag I hid in the closet a few days ago, I emptied the contents before dressing in them. It wasn't really _clothes_ , more like accessories. It was a pair of nipple clamps that had a chain connecting them, with another one running down the middle to my clit, with a clamp attached to that.

Next was a butt plug, with a black and pink furry tail attached to it. I put my hair into a simple braid, before cracking the door open, informing him to close his eyes. Last thing was a pair of matching cat ears, and a bit of black paint on my face like a cat nose and whiskers.

Checking to see if he had his eyes closed, I walked out there and kneeled in front of him, looking at him innocently. I tapped his knee, drawing him to open his eyes, which lit up with excitement and lust. Like someone flipped a switch, his cock got instantly hard, as he stood up and walked around me, taking in the sight of me all dressed up in my garb.

"Well, well, this is a good surprise I must admit. I have my own for you, though." He walked into the closet, coming out with a black leather paddle, maybe the size of a ping pong paddle. "Now, daddy isn't gonna stand disobedience like earlier. Even though you told me the truth, you hesitated, and I'm disappointed. Stand up and bend over the bed, baby girl."

Like a faucet I was instantly wet, dripping juices as I did what I was commanded to. He brought the paddle across my cheeks, making me whimper, the juices running down my legs. "Mmm, daddy." I moaned, as he continued this, smacking me fifteen times, before dropping the paddle.

I shivered when he ran a hand over my red, heated cheeks, feeling the smirk on his face. "Do you think that you're ready to go all the way with this tonight?" It was a good question, to which I nodded. "Okay, back to your knees, wait while daddy goes and get's the stuff." This is exactly what I needed.

He returned shortly with rope, tape and handcuffs. I stuck my hands out, allowing him to cuff them together. Before I knew it, he picked me up and laid me on my stomach on the bed, laying still as he attached one end of rope to the cuffs, the other end onto the headboard to the bed, fastening it tightly so I couldn't escape from him.

Not like I would want to anyways. Next, he made a strip of tape go across my neck. Admittedly I was confused, but I knew what he was doing once he took a small braided rope and affixed it to my throat in a semi-noose. All the while I sat there, my pussy trembling with excitement and anticipation of what I knew was coming next. Sasuke started running fingers up and down my wetness, making me whimper, my bottom lip trembling. "Senpai, please..." I gasped out in sexual agony.

Accepting my pleas, he lifted my hips until I was sitting on my knees, my face into the bed and my entrance displayed for him perfectly. Wasting no time, he slid his rock hard cock into me, groaning at how wet I was as I shared a similar moan, moaning at his member spreading my insides.

Soon after he found a rhythm as he assaulted my insides, all seven inches of him pounding into me rapidly. I gasped out when he grabbed the end of the rope attached to my neck and pulled it up roughly, lifting it and choking me effectively, the tape stopping me from getting rope burn too bad.

He started to slap my ass roughly with his free hand, drawing more whimpers from me as my skin turned a dark shade of red. My end was coming up, but he didn't stop as I spurted my juices, eyes rolling into the back of my head as the orgasm rocked me. I felt another one coming up, being hit with a second orgasm a few seconds after the first.

It was like child's play to him, fucking my body like a ragdoll as I moaned in pleasure and ecstasy, his balls slapping against my clit clamp, slapping my ass in sync with his thrusts making an audible, enjoyable popping and slapping sound. He didn't plan on stopping anytime soon either, I could tell, as he adjusted his stance a bit to get more access to me.

As usual, he knew how to shock me and cause me more pleasure, as he pulled out of my pussy and removing my anal plug, before ramming himself into my asshole, stretching it out and causing me to cry out at the pleasurable pain. Didn't mean he was gonna forget about my still trembling and wet pussy.

At the same time, he was rubbing my entrance and fingering it, also slapping it, getting my hot juices on his hand. All this time he never let up on the rope, only to let me breathe a bit, before tightening it. I wasn't in danger of choking out though, it was just _perfect_.

Leaning in towards my ear, he whispered into it. "You're gonna take daddy's cum in your tight little ass, aren't you baby girl?" Nodding vehemently, I prepared myself for my first cream pie. With a final thrust and groan, he buried himself into me, shooting his seed into my ass and filling it up as another orgasm rocked me.

When he pulled out, I felt a bit of his cum dribbling from my exit, before he wiped it up with his hand and putting it to my mouth. I licked the cum, along with my juices, off his fingers, savoring the taste. After that third orgasm, he let me free, helping me remove my gear. I was in such a euphoric state I couldn't barely think straight, mumbling my words.

Being the gentleman he is, he cleaned me off with baby wipes, and slid some nighttime clothes onto my body, tucking me into bed and kissing my forehead as he headed outside, for what reason I don't know, but I trust him.

He left me with my own thoughts surrounding me, as I replayed the scenes that just happened, trying not to make myself wet again. That was what one would call mind blowing sex, considering my mind is indeed blown and scrambled. All I could think about was how he was rough with me, yet gentle and caring.

And this was just the beginning of what we can do, we still had to be a bit careful about how we did things. Right now, I was in la-la land, and I couldn't care less. I knew my prince would be back soon.

Oh, what a night.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV**

* * *

 _October 31st, 2:45 am._

Tonight, I'm getting a glimpse at just what I'm gonna have to deal with. Sickness, random cravings, and even _more_ bipolar mood swings. Doing the only thing I could think to do at this moment, I took her to the store, got her the food she was craving, and drove her to my spot where I usually draw. She hadn't seen it yet, so she sees it as a trust thing.

Point: Shikamaru. I can safely say that this was a smart move, as we rolled into the spot where the minor river Atlas trickled through the forest, about thirty minutes from the city. "Wow, so this is where you go to draw?" I nodded, as she stared in awe at the scenery. "This is amazing, Shika-kun, thank you for this."

Kissing my cheek gently, I got out and opened her door, helping her out and taking her closer to the river, where the small bench was. Where I would sit and draw whatever came to mind. We sat down on the bench, as she laid her head onto my shoulder, enjoying my warmth and embrace.

Just sitting here with her, I felt more in love with her than before, and my mind floated to the glove box where I kept the ring locked away safely. Why was I stressing over proposing later? I know she's gonna say yes. I know she loves me, and I love her too. We're gonna have our first kid in a little over half a year, and I couldn't wait for that day to come.

So why was I trying to make the night perfect? We're having a perfect night here and I didn't even plan this out. This was just a spur of the moment plan to get her to be happy. And it worked, which in turn made me happy as well. I guess that's how I know she's the one I love.

Another point is that when she started shedding a tear right now, it made me worried. "Hey, Temari-hime, what's wrong?" I know it's probably just another mood swing thing, but I still have to ask. It never hurt to ask anyways, to be honest.

She just let another tear fall, before opening her mouth to speak. "In all this time we've been together, I'm just now realizing how lucky I am to have a boyfriend like you, and how much I love you. Thank you for putting up with my crazy ass, babe." Her, lucky? Shit, she's put up with my lazy ass more than I have her craziness.

The craziness just makes her more lovable and cuddly. "And thank you for putting up with me, even if I'm a lazy bastard sometimes." I kissed the crown of her head softly as a bright and vibrant red blush flushed her face, ceasing the tears effectively and quickly. Another point: Shikamaru.

We sat there for another thirty minutes, in the calmness of the light wind and dribbling of the water. It was a decently cool night, in the thirties, but we were used to the Konoha winter, with our big puffy jackets and big boots, courtesy of the Land Of Tea.

I'll admit it was a shock when she removed her head from my shoulder and looked up at me randomly. "Shika-kun, promise me something." Looking at her, I nodded, waiting for her request. "Promise me that you'll never leave me, please." Well, I planned on doing that later, with the ultimate promise, which is engagement for marriage. But hey, what's stopping me now.

I kissed her gently, motioning for her to stay there for a second. "I have a gift for you. Don't look." Seeming to understand, she sat still. What better time to do it, honestly. It doesn't need to be the perfect day for me to do this. This is perfect to me, anyways. I dug through the glove box, smiling when I grabbed the box with the ring in it.

Stuffing it in my pockets, I yelled over my shoulder for her to close her eyes. Relieved when I saw she did, I crept over there, kneeling on one knee before her and coughing, signaling for her to open her eyes. "What is it...Shika-kun..." Once her eyes caught a glimpse of what was in my pocket, her eyes glazed over with tears, hopefully happy ones.

Smiling brightly, I reached in and grabbed it. "Well, I was gonna do this later on today after a dinner, but I realized that this is a perfect night to me, and it is to you too. Tonight, Temari, I realized just how deeply my love was for you, through hell or high water." I cleared my throat, before starting the second part of my speech.

"Temari, you want me to stay forever, and this ring I have here is my promise that, no matter what life throws at us, I will always be there for you. All you have to do is accept my proposal." With happiness in my heart, I finally said those five words. "Temari, will you marry me?"

At first, I was worried, because she was silent for a few seconds, before she exploded in happiness, hugging me and kissing me, repeatedly saying 'yes' over and over again. Eventually, she got control and stopped, looking me dead in the eyes, smiling with her tears of joy. "Yes, I will gladly be Mrs. Temari Nara." And like that, my life was perfect.

After a celebratory make out session, because we're still kids dammit, we loaded back into my car, as I texted Naruto and Sasuke. "You know, Mrs. Temari Nara has a nice ring to it." I smiled as I said that, getting another kiss from her.

Then she gave me a devilish smile, rubbing my thigh. "You know this means we get to have hot, steamy fiancée and fiancé sex. And I'm pregnant, so you know my desires are, er, _heightened._ " Well shit, I know this is a good thing, but I feel for my poor, innocent little Shika.

The last words from my friends were _"Dude congrats! When you said Halloween night I didn't think you meant Halloween morning/night lol, but that's awesome!"_ Typical Naruto.

And then Sasuke, well... _"Wtf m8. I mean, congrats but I just got Sakura to lay down and sleep before she tore my dick in two, hearing this will get her all emotional. I mean I like it, but...never mind, you don't wanna know, it's your night, congrats brother! Pray I make it through tonight in two."_

Shit, imma need some of those prayers myself, brother. God help us all. If we make it through tonight, beers are on me next time we drink. It's a silent promise, but it's a promise that I promise to keep, no matter what the cost.

And so we rode off to my imminent doom, with the soundtrack complimenting the scene.

 _We're so fucked. Shit outta luck. Hardwired to self destruct._

* * *

 **A/N:** Ok yea I pulled the engagement trigger early, but oh well. It felt right, like it fit, and I didn't wanna wait until next chapter for it to happen so I crammed it into this chapter, coincidently making it my longest chapter yet at close to 11k words. So...yay! Other than that, you know the drill, read and review, and if it tickles your fancy, favorite and follow it please. Ja ne!


	10. Far Away, Where The Thunder Rolls

**A/N:** Here we go! This is when things pretty much start to pick up, as we introduce Ino as a main character (kinda). It's mainly a party chapter with a few revelations along the way, but the ending...well, read and see.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the lyrics used in this chapter, they belong to Nickelback and Garth Brooks, respectively. I know, what a contrast.

* * *

 **INO-POV**

* * *

 _November 18th, 2:30 pm_

"Alright student's, pack your bags up and head out. Enjoy your thanksgiving break!" And with that we were off, for the best week off ever. It was full of family, friends and giving thanks for what we had. And this year it's safe to say that I have a lot to be thankful for.

Over the past few weeks, me and Sakura rekindled our friendship, and it's been the best thing to happen to me since my new group of friends saved my life. After all of the shit I put them and others through, it brought tears to my eyes that they were so willing to just turn around and accept me into their clique. Especially Hinata and Naruto after the party scandal.

Looking back on the past, I did kinda fuck up. Okay, not just kinda, I really _did_ fuck up majorly. Ever since I got released from the hospital, me and my dad got to work on my anxiety. But there are things that still lurk deep inside of me, demons I don't want to let out.

Forget that for now, I have a whole week of freedom ahead of me. "Ino!" I turned around in the hall to spot Sakura, Sasuke and the crew walking up to me. Smiling, I waved to them. "What's your plans for the holiday weekend?" My pink haired comrade asked me. To be honest, I had no idea what I had planned.

Shrugging, I grabbed the rest of my lockers contents and stuffed them into my backpack. "I don't even know, guys. I was just gonna chill and see what y'all were up to." Ever since I met this guy from Tea he has me hooked on that damn word, y'all. You all, apparently, and it's a very versatile word.

Naturally they all looked at me weirdly for my usage of the foreign word. "Y'all? Are you still using that damn word that Tea guy told you about?" Sasuke asked. I just nodded, before shrugging it off like it was nothing. He seemed content with my answer, just shrugging. "Well, we were planning on getting together at my place tomorrow and chilling if you're down."

I know their version of chilling includes drinking, so I'm down, anything to...never mind. "Yeah for sure, I know my dad won't care since it's y'all." Even I know I use the word a lot, but fuck it. "We're gonna be drinking, no?" They all just nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yea, it's usually when we play drinking games like beer pong and stuff." Naruto told me, confirming my thoughts. "It's gonna be all of us, so if you wanna bring your own friend or two lemme know." Psh, like I really had any friends anymore since I left the gossip corp.

Sakura looked at me, giving me a soft, eyes-closed smile. "It'll be fun, though, we're just gonna do a bit of friendly drinking." Friendly drinking was always fun. Better than sitting at the house with my usual.

Giving them a thumbs up, I forced a small smile to my lips. "Count me in, anyways. I need to get out of the house." Oh how true it was. Even if I was gonna be the only single lady there, and the only one drinking to drown demons instead of having fun.

We departed shortly after, but I had a date with someone. Someone important to me right now. I drove down to the slums, parking in front of a beat up shotgun house before honking once quickly. A few moments later a girl broke the plain of the door, red hair shining vibrantly as she strutted her way down to my car. No need to worry about cops here in the shits.

Opening my car door, she sat in the passengers seat, setting her backpack on the floor of the car and opening the main pocket. "Ino-chan, it's nice to see you again." She spoke sickeningly sweet, almost enough to make me sick.

But I wasn't in the mood to piss her off, just smiling back. "Ne, it's only been a week, Asuka-chan." We weren't here to reminisce on the old times, though. It was business time. "The usual, yano." It was routine by now. We sit, 'talk', and then get down to brass tax.

Nodding, she pulled out two bags, one filled with a white substance, and another with a brown substance. "Yep, an ounce of heroin and half ounce of coke." With the good connect like her, I didn't completely break the bank with this. She gave it to me for half, sometimes more, off. Free if we slept together sometimes. No sex, just literal sleep.

That girl is indeed a nice girl stuck in a shitty situation. Both of her parents are deadbeat crackheads pretty much forcing her into selling to make money. These two aren't where she made money, though. It was mainly designer drugs like MDMA/Ecstasy, acid, LSD or pot. Herself she was a pretty woman, standing five foot four, a hundred-ish pounds.

A well rounded C-cup chest, toned rear end and snakebites complimented her tattooed body. I wouldn't fuck with her, though, she's got the Eighteen Sixties on her side. A gang that got their name from being distinguished by their old school mafia style killings of any competitors.

They dominated the slums, fighting against gangs like Gato's, Driller's and Pointer's. Just recently the Pointer's submitted to the Eighteen Sixties, causing the price of the brown god to fall significantly. Which meant I got my shit cheaper than shit, so I can't complain.

She's always packing too, at least a .45 on her at all times stowed in her pants. It's how she got the nickname 'crazy Asuka'. I know she wants more, but this is the hand that life has dealt her. "I can't thank you enough again, Asuka-chan." I smiled and said as I stowed the bags away, dishing out the hundred and fifty I owed her.

Looking at me, she smiled again, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to thank me, just kiss me." Ah screw it. We crashed our lips together, darting our tongues in and out of each other's mouths. I ran a hand up and down her back, pausing at her neck and cupping it, deepening the kiss. Ignoring the passerby's and stares, we broke it with a moan.

With a giggle, she left my car, retreating back into the house as I drove off, the taste of her strawberry lip gloss lingering on my mouth. Fuck, that woman knew how to make another woman fall in love with her lips. _"Want me to come hang out later, Ino-chan? It's been a few months since we've hung out."_ Asuka had sent me via text.

 _"Lol sure, I could use some company tonight."_ And it was true, my answer. Didn't wanna seem too excited though. Once she gets you hooked on her and she knows it, she'll put you through an equivalent to hell on earth.

I whipped into my driveway, stuffing the bags into my backpack and bursting through the door, sighing, glad to be home. I walked through the flower shop part and towards the back, walking through the door and into the living room where my mom sat. "Hey sweetie, ready for a week off?" My mom was always sweet, never angry.

Except for the few times my dad pissed her off. "Yea, more than ready. I'm gonna head upstairs and change ok?" She nodded to me, smiling. I stopped at the stairs, turning to face her again. "You don't mind if Asuka comes over, do you?" If she even remembered her. She's been over a few times, but not in a few months, as aforementioned.

With a wave of her hand signaling okay, I headed to my upstairs lofty room, the only one up there. To the right of the landing area on the stairs was my room, and to the left was the bathroom. My parents hardly came up here, so I was free to do anything pretty much. And their downstairs bedroom was a good distance away, so I could jam music freely as I please.

Putting on some music, I began to undress myself, sliding my pants off and shirt, looking in the mirror at my scarecrow frame. Small, barely C-cup breasts and a small, barely toned ass. My eyes were sunken in, bags under them that I hid well with makeup. My legs are where I hid most of my secrets.

They were covered in scars, some white and barely noticeable, others were still pink, and a few cuts still healing. I told myself I would stop once I got the medicine I needed, but it only got worse. Eventually I slowed down, but every now and then I'd still find myself sliding the razor across my legs, drawing blood to comfort myself when drugs failed.

At least I had the pantie and bra department right, a deep purple bra and pantie set gracing my skin. Those too were quickly removed as I stared at my naked body. Locking my door, I made sure my blinds and curtains were completely closed. I laid down on my back in front of my full body mirror, propping myself up and looking at my sex.

It was admittedly beat up from all the carefree sex I've had. Once upon a time I was a whore, sleeping with anyone and everyone I deemed hot and worthy of my body. I lost count, but it had to be between fifteen and twenty guys, anywhere from thirteen to twenty one.

Thankfully none of them were dirty, so I passed the STD test at the hospital. Somewhere around the fourth time I forgot how meaningful, mind blowing sex felt. My fingers couldn't replicate the feeling that any guy could've given me. As much as me and Asuka have kissed and cuddled, we never got down and dirty in between my sheets.

 _This time, this place, misused, mistakes. Too long, too late, who was I to make you wait?_

Yeah, yeah, it's Nickelback. Suck my ass and call me mommy. I don't care, they're good. I didn't even bother to get redressed, wanting to hang loose right now. Reaching under my bed, I grabbed the small wooden box where I kept my needles and stuff, preparing a shot and shooting it, groaning as the rush hit me, before settling into bed and laying there.

Time flew on and on and before I knew it, it was dinnertime, six pm sharp pretty much. I threw on a pair of sweatpants, a bra and shirt, throwing my hair into a messy bun and waltzed downstairs, taking a seat at the table with my mother and father. I was still a bit high from the bumper I did a minute ago, but it wasn't noticeable.

Like every other dinner, we made small talk, mainly about work and school. Hardly did we ever talk about personal stuff while eating, that was saved for when we would sit on the couch and watch TV, but they knew I wasn't gonna be down there, Asuka would be over around eight and I needed to shower and stuff.

I bid my nightly farewell to my parents, who went to sleep early anyways around nine, and headed up to my room, hopping in the shower and letting the water cascade over my body, the heat relaxing my muscles and clearing my head. The comedown was hitting me, which is when I finished up my shower and hopped out, throwing on the same clothes as before, nixing the bra.

* * *

 _8:30 pm._

Asuka had just texted me saying she was here, as I strutted down the stairs and through the side door, trying to sneak past my parents since I wasn't quite dressed. Once I got to the side gate, she was leaning against it, smiling and waving high. I made a motion for her to be quiet as we slipped through the house and up the stairs.

Once we got to my room, we shared a kiss, locking the door behind us and giggling softly. "Man it's been a proper while since we've hung out, Asuka-chan." Nodding in agreement, we sat down on the bed, leaning back onto it and enjoying each others embrace. "So, whatcha been up to recently besides the same old shit, different day?"

She wouldn't be the first to admit it, but her life was pretty repetitive. "Meh, same old shit, different day. Selling drugs and craving hugs." I truly felt bad for the poor girl. Being forced into a situation that you shouldn't have to be in, dealing with dangerous shit everyday, people getting shot, stabbed, raped and murdered left and right like it was cannon fodder.

It seemed like whenever she got to my house, she'd just melt and vent, mainly about how she wants out so bad but the gang just won't let her leave as simple as that. "Well, you know I'll always be here for you, and vice versa, Asuka." And thus started the furious kissing session we always had. But this time, it was different.

Fiery, passionate, almost like we were lovers, and full of ass groping. Lots and lots of feeling and moaning. We paused for just a moment, and Asuka buried her face into the crook of my neck, silently crying. "Ino, I'm so tired of this life, I just want to escape from it all, but the drugs...they're not helping." She cried into me, as I comforted her.

Like I wasn't already feeling bad for her, I shed a tear myself as I kissed the crown of her head, rubbing her back gently and whispering into her ear. "Hey, Asuka-chan, it'll be ok, just don't fear right now, you're safe with me." It took a few minutes, but her cries slowly tapered off, as she looked up and gazed into my eyes.

"Ino, please, make me feel something other than hurt." As soon as she said that, she placed her lips on mine softly, as a spark of what felt like electricity bolted between us. We were embroiled in a loving, passionate make out session, unknowingly undressing each other.

First it was our shirts, her bra-covered chest pressing against my bare chest. Soon after, I unconsciously slipped her bra off, letting our bare tits rub together. Why was I doing this? I've never really felt this way towards women, except her kisses, and here we are, on our way to full blown lesbian coitus. All I know is, I love it and so does my nether regions.

We started kicking our legs out, pushing each others pants down until we could kick them off. I hooked a toe into her panties, sliding them off and tossing them to the side of my bed. And so we were completely naked, rubbing on each others bodies and loving it.

She had broken our kisses, starting to kiss down my neck, before slipping a nipple into her mouth, sucking and nibbling on it, before continuing her journey down south, reaching my waistline as the heat between my legs reached an all time high.

Running the tip of her tongue up the length of my pussy and circling my clit with her tongue, I whimpered and bit my lip, trying to be quiet. She was making it hard, as she started dipping her tongue in and out of me, going on all the way and flicking it against my insides.

The way she worked her tongue skyrocketed my pleasure to the highest it's ever been, causing me to cum all over her face barely five minutes into her work. I was huffing and puffing as she looked up and smiled. "Never slept with a woman before, or a man that can eat pussy this good?" Is that a rhetorical question, Asuka? Of course I haven't hun.

Shaking my head no, I figured it was my turn to do my job, pushing her onto her back and sizing up her love. Wasting little time, I did what I thought was right and licked up and down her pussy, using my tongue skills, albeit from giving blow jobs, to pleasure her.

And it worked, I guess, as she started squirming and moaning softly, panting out for more. I decided to move up to her clit, flicking it with the tip of my tongue and nibbling on it as I used my fingers to stimulate her g-spot, driving her to grab my hair and bury my face into her, making me continue my tonguing of her insides.

I must have done pretty good, 'cuz it only took about ten minutes to get her to her climax, as she climaxed all over my face in return. Afterwards, we both laid down in exhaustion and sexual fulfillment, kissing each other and enjoying the taste of our juices mixed together.

With a devious smile, she looked at me and grinned. "I need a shower, Ino-chan, would you mind joining me to, um, help me _wash my hair_?" Like I could say no, just smiling and taking her hand, sneaking over to the bathroom unspotted for some more coitus, this time a lot wetter, steamier, and all around better.

Life was _great_. Anyone who tried convincing me otherwise was stupid, including... _them_.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV**

* * *

 _November 18th, 8:00 pm._

Well, today has just been absolutely fun.

Having a pregnant fiancée that has heightened sexual desires, an empty house, and no need to use condoms, equals lots and lots of sex. Pure, passionate, raw and determined sex. Was it such a bad thing? The first few times, no. Ten times later? Yea that becomes a bit much to any man that isn't a porn star or a stamina freak.

Ever since I got home at three, she's been jumping my bones. Thankfully I finally got her to calm down and just cuddle with me as we watched a movie. Right now I'm cursing Naruto and Sasuke for suggesting that we all have a day right now to ourselves and our partners.

In the past two months, me and Temari have grown to understand love deeper than before. At least her brothers have been kept at bay, and they've come to accept that we're in love and getting married.

We haven't been this, well, horny, since my birthday, and that right there was fun. I just laughed a little bit, as she looked at me questioningly. "Sorry, I was just thinking back to the _surprise_ you gave me for my birthday." It was the funniest thing now, seeing the look on my face when she walked into my room from the restroom wearing nothing but a long trench coat.

Top it off with a seaman's cap and goggles, and she was the sexiest steampunk girl I had ever laid eyes on. She breathed out a quick laugh, kissing my cheek. "Yep, I remember that night vividly. All the sex, even if it was a school night." I was rather surprised I even made it to school.

I heard my phone buzz, getting a text from Naruto. It was just a stupid picture of cats, something he had an obsession with. "Ah, Naruto." We had been working as hard as we could to dig up anything we could on where his father was and, more importantly, who he was. We have a few candidates, including a man from Iron and one from Water.

Water and Iron were the more likely ones because we know his mom visited those areas from previous stories that's she's told us, and they were all around the time he was conceived. "Yea, Naruto, have there been any advances on the whole father thing?" I forget we don't talk much about it.

Nodding, I started explaining to her what we knew. "Well, there's two people, random commoners from the lands of Iron and Water. His mom visited there around the time he should've been conceived, so it seems most likely. Other than that, no not really." It's all we really knew, but we were closer than before.

She hummed out a tune while thinking, before hitting something she thought as a clue. "Ah, did you ever think about his uncanny resemblance to the fourth Hokage? Blue eyes, blond hair, love for ramen and cats?" Shit, of course we had, but I mean what's the reasoning behind it? Unless his mother hid it from the fourth, which wouldn't make sense.

Why would you hide the fact that someone has a son from them? Especially the leader of the country we live in, knowing if he found out he could ruin the company she's worked to keep afloat ever since her parents death in her twenties.

Of course, there is always a rhyme and reason for everything, and the only way to get the truth is two ways. One, go to her directly which would equal certain denial. Or two, do a backlist parental record search. Which, while unethical and underhanded, isn't exactly illegal. It's a dick move, sure, but not illegal.

"I've thought about it, yes, but I couldn't find a reason for it. It just occurred to me that I'll have to pull dick move behind both their backs and do a backlist parental records search." She gave me a weird look of 'are you stupid?' and 'what the hell?' before her face softened in understanding, knowing it's the only way to figure this out.

Hugging me closer to me, she sighed into my chest. "I know it's the only way, Shika, but that'll take at least a month, maybe more, to get the results back." It's ok, that means we have a month to completely disprove this theory and find the truth lest we get the shock that we may not want.

With a nod and a shared look, we knew this conversation was over and we were on to the next one. The marriage. We didn't want to think about it too much right now, but we needed to get a general idea of when to have it, where, and of course her mind floated to the honeymoon. More specifically, the actions that are supposed to occur during it.

I'm not sure if I can deal with her being this horny for too long. Any longer and I might just run out of bullets in my six-shooter. I know it's scientifically impossible to literally run out of sperm, but hot damn she may be the first woman to make me disprove that theory.

Enough about sex, I'm already getting enough of it, there's no point in going on about it. And I'm about to get more of it, if the look she gave me was anything to go on. "Oh, Shika-kun, I think I still have that trench coat in my car, wanna see?"

Yep, I'm screwed. Say a prayer for me, my friends, and smoke a nice, fancy cigar at my funeral. If these are my last wishes, let that be it, and only that. Other than that, do what you want at my funeral.

Farewell, cruel world. It's been a good ride.

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV**

* * *

 _November 19th, 6:00 pm._

Ah, the kid is gone, along with his girlfriend, and my 'girlfriend' Mikoto is own her way here. A night just by myself with her, no kids, nothing, just the company of a good friend. What could go wrong?

I had gotten dressed into my pair of booty shorts, because fuck you I'm by myself I can, and a big shirt and bra to support my D-cup chest. While I was digging through my closet, I came across a box I had hoped I would've never came across again. The box that held all the pictures of me, Naruto and his father when he was just a newborn.

Normally I would've buried it back in there, but for some reason I felt that I needed to look at again, taking it with me to my bed and setting it down, cracking it open. My eyes were moistened instantly by the memories I had from back then. He was such a loving man, and I had to drive him away from me. Why? Because I'm crazy.

Almost literally crazy. Got it checked out by a doctor, I'm still somehow sane. The part that really hurts right now is Naruto, my sweet child, has no idea who his father really is, and it's all pretty much my fault. Nah, it is one hundred percent, without a doubt, my fault. He has the right to know, but I just rob him of that right.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around me, making me damn near jump out of my skin. "It hurts, I know, I've kept the secret behind Fugaku-kun's leaving from Sasuke-kun for the longest time." Mikoto, why must you scare the shit out of me while subsequently comforting me with your experiences? I swear, imma make you a higher up in Uzu-tech one day.

Sighing, I shut the box and latched it back shut. "I know, Mikoto-chan, we both have our secrets. I'm glad I have a friend like you to go through it with, though." She's been here since day one, so she deserves the biggest shout out of all. We looked at each other and shared a quick peck on the lips.

Okay, one thing real quick, we're not a lesbian couple, but we do enjoy each others kisses and, er, more, quite often. Nothing wrong with that, we're open with our sexuality and don't mind it. Is it wrong? Not in our eyes. We're forty years old, still look good and can choose what we want to do and when we want to do it.

With that being said, should we ever decide to date a guy or girl, we understand that in that instance we can't be jealous of each other or hurt. In fact, we've been trying to help each other get back in the game. Admittedly, it usually ends with us sleeping together, but I can't complain with that.

"Slut." She breathed out as we broke our second, deeper kiss. We stood up and headed to the living room, plopping down onto the couch and snuggling into each other and flipping through the channels. "What's on the agenda for tonight, 'Shina?" I pointed at the TV and wooden, decorative box that held the pot we'd be smoking. That stuff needs to be legalized already.

She smiled as she grabbed the box, breaking down the plant and removing the stems and what not, before rolling a perfect blunt. Looking at me, she licked the blunt seductively, sucking on it as if it were a thin, brown dick. "Mikoto-chan, if you keep doing that, we might have to ignore the movie for a while." I winked at her, before licking my lips.

I know my time of the month is coming up, and with it comes the horniness that comes right before it. "Hehe, I don't think I'd mind that one bit." Right after that, she launched herself onto me, crashing her lips onto mine. Swinging my legs off the couch, I stood up with her legs wrapped around me like she was a koala bear.

Stumbling over to the front door, I clicked the locks shut while making out with the dark haired girl attached to me, doing the same with the garage door. With one hand behind her back, I used my free hand to unbutton my shorts and slide them off, my panties following suit.

Releasing her leg grip on me, she stood up and did the same, baring her bottom half. We sat back down on the couch, kissing and moaning into each other mouths, as she had reached over to rub my pussy, prompting me to do the same. We had done this a lot before, stimulating each other till we both came at the same time, moaning loudly into the air.

Afterwards, I reached my hand up to my mouth, sucking my two fingers and deep throating them, sucking her juices clean off my fingers. "All clean, ne 'Koto-chan?" I asked seductively, as she followed my lead and did the same.

We decided to get completely naked, removing our tops and bras, as she sat between my legs after we shut the lights off. Finding a movie, she lit the blunt, taking a couple hits before passing it backwards to me. I hit it, all while keeping a hand on her left breast, groping and massaging it. "Mm, I like that Kushina-chan." I know she did.

Why do you think I did it? "I know, Mikoto-chan." I muttered out while exhaling the good smelling smoke form my lungs. "Can't get much better than this, I'm getting high with a sexy, naked chick between my legs." Passing the stick over her shoulder, she grabbed it from me before nodding her head.

"Yeah. So how's work been going on the CEO side of things?" I liked our ability to hold a normal conversation while naked and still dripping wet from our earlier expeditions. How was work? Still frustrating, but stock has been going up for the holiday season, now my job is to keep said stock and revenue up past the holiday season, which was harder than expected.

I just groaned, thinking about numbers right now hurt my head. "Trying to balance everything right now is a pain in the ass, but I'm trying my best. The Konoha military has been pressing for the blueprints to the 'thing' I mentioned earlier, but it's not as easy as they think." We did so much more than phones, not many people knew.

Uzu-tech was a huge tech supplier for the military. Radios, in-ear devices, optics for the weapons, but this time they asked us to go deeper into military equipment. They're asking for a cheap-ish yet effective weapon, a gun, automatic rifle to be exact, that fired a massive round but was light and maneuverable.

Why they asked us is still a mystery, especially since we don't manufacture weapons, just electronics and accessories. "A pain in the ass indeed, but this would mean an intense increase in stock and revenue for the business, one that may just be worth the time and effort." Not to mention the close to ten million we've spent to get started.

We had a budget of fifteen million, and we were approaching it rapidly, thankfully we have maybe another month of work on it, meaning I can fix this headache and get rid of it, moving back to something I'm more comfortable with. Electronics and appliances, like this was supposed to be from the get-go.

Back about twenty years ago, when I was twenty one and pregnant with Naruto, my parents had passed away, leaving me the company and all of its assets. Now, it was already a decent sized company then, grossing an annual thirty million, and after college finished when I was twenty two and a single mother, I was thrusted into the CEO position.

No training, no prior experience in business besides the four year degree I had in business and economics, just 'here ya go, run this company'. We fluttered for the next year or two, until I hit my stride, and from there the company has grown in the last fifteen years from a thirty million a year company, to over a billion a year.

Trade agreements with all the nations have helped spread the company internationally, and the military partnership boosted our popularity with the friends and family of army men and navy men. Unfortunately, this came with a mental toll.

Being in a position like this, I know I've been a part of quite a few skirmishes indirectly, including the purging of the Jashin people near the Stone village area. Also, I've been privy to military secrets, stuff I never wanted to know, but now I do, and I have to live with it now.

With a heavy sigh, I finished off the blunt and leaned back, groaning softly again. "I just need to relax and relieve some stress while enjoying my weekend off." A massage would be great, and a nice bubble bath. Mikoto started rubbing the parts of my legs that were available to her, going deep on my feet.

"What say we go and run a bath, before I go and get the toys from the car." Honestly, sounds good to me.

Smiling, I rubbed her shoulders. "I'd love that, Mikoto-chan."

I wonder what the kids are up to.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _November 19th, 6:15 pm._

Playlist of music, check. Snacks, check. Pizza set to come about eight-ish, check. Girlfriend, check. Sanity, gone. Innocence? Ha, what's that?

We were all set for the party. We each had a bottle of our own favorite type of liquor, a couple of cases of beer (and juice for the pregnant Temari), and the crew were on their way. Shikamaru and Temari, Sakura was here already as well as Hinata, Ino and her friend Asuka, who's name seems eerily familiar to me, but oh well.

The only Asuka I know is the one who used to sell me drugs, but I don't see Ino befriending a poor, gang-involved drug dealer. "Hinata, baby, can you throw me my smokes please." She heaved them to me from across the room, hitting me square in the nose. Jeez this girl had a good arm. Giggling, she mumbled an apology.

It was six days from thanksgiving day, and my mom and Mikoto were already planning on our two small families just converging for thanksgiving because why not? It's not like we don't have room. Me and Sasuke were already planning our black Friday shopping, for both of the women in our lives and our mothers.

Shika, on the other hand, was nutting up and spending thanksgiving night in Suna with Temari's family after thanksgiving lunch with his mom, dad and some cousins, uncles and aunts that are coming over to their house. If he can successfully make it through that with his mind and more importantly body intact, I'll give him some mad fuckin' props.

"Oi, dobe, help me move this stuff around in the garage." We had the full band set up in the garage planning on doing a bit of practicing tomorrow in the daylight hours. Not like anyone would complain at night.

He lived off rural road seventy, a few minutes down the road from the nearest house. The only other places around were a car shop, audio installation place and a warehouse, all of which clocked out for the night about two hours ago, going home to their families and friends, or lack thereof.

We were sitting there curling up cords and moving the amps back when a knock on the door interrupted our thoughts. "I guess the first guests are here, teme." A bit early, but early is better than late I guess. Sakura took it, and from the voices I recognized it was our favorite lazy guitarist and his blonde headed companion.

"Hey guys, where do you want me to put the bottle?" The dark haired engaged mans voice broke through the garage door, as both me and Sasuke pointed to the stand up freezer in the garage. "Ah, got ya." He headed over to the freezer, placing the bottle of vodka next to my rum, Sasuke's whiskey, Sakura's tequila and Hinata's scotch.

I popped a cigarette into my mouth, sparking it up before shaking hands with the dude crew. "Well, all the men are here, ready to get the party started?" They all nodded, grabbing a beer from the freezer. It was set to low, so it wont make them all explode everywhere. Why didn't we just keep it in his fridge? Well, it's full of food, and that's a bit more important.

So we drug an old stand up freezer I had at my house in the garage over here, it was just collecting dust anyways. We headed to the living room, swiping an ashtray from the garage, placing it on the coffee table. "So, what game is first?" I asked, as Sasuke grabbed the copy of Call To Arms, popping it into the game system.

Each of us grabbed a controller, sitting down onto the couch. "We have an extra one, so do any of you girls fancy learning the ropes?" Sasuke asked, holding the controller out. And to my surprise, Hinata grabbed it, taking a seat next to me and smiling.

"Ne, you'll teach me, right Naruto-kun?" How was I gonna say no to her puppy eyes, anyways. I nodded, as we selected a map and type of game. We did a four versus four team death-match, seemingly the easiest one to teach a new person the ropes.

Thankfully Sasuke had a decently big TV in his living room. And by decently, it was a ninety inch. Yea, too damn big, but it works for us. "Now, watch what I do, and you'll get the hang of it eventually." To which she did, after a few games of us losing either terribly or winning by the skin of our teeth. I couldn't help but love the way she sat, legs crossed and eyes fixed to the screen.

Seven o' clock rolled around, and another knock sounded throughout the house, this time hopefully Ino and her friend. Hinata took this one, standing up and walking up to the door. It swung open, and in came the long blonde haired woman, followed by a vibrant red headed woman, smiling as bright as a flashlight.

And in that moment, me and the aforementioned red head locked eyes. It was indeed the woman I was fearing it was. The look in both of our eyes said 'okay, we'll not speak about anything for the sake of our friends'. I stood up, heading to the garage to grab another beer.

As I thought, Ino was in there shortly, placing her bottle in the freezer. "Hey Naruto, how you been?" Now isn't the time for friendly questions though, Ino. How the fuck did she know this woman? So many questions, and no answers.

I just smiled, waving to her. "I'm good. And you?" She just smiled back, making a 'iffy' sign with her hand. "Hey, so uh, funny thing." I laughed a bit, as she looked at me questioningly. "That Asuka girl, how do you know her?" I turned serious real quick, throwing the blonde girl off and making her scrunch her eyebrows up.

"W-what do you mean how do I know her?" Her switching to defense real quick made me think something was up. Asuka won't talk to you unless you're a buyer, supplier or her fucker. Dick supplier, so I guess that counts as a supplier.

Looking her dead in the eye, I rested a hand on her shoulder. "Ino, I know that girl. She's one of the biggest dealers of drugs in the slums. I know she doesn't just talk to anyone unless they're a supplier, buyer or lover. So, which is it?" Judging by the blush on her face, I assumed lover. But also by the way she subconsciously rubbed her arm, it told me otherwise.

She tried to compose herself, all the while smiling. "Well, er, the last two." So she's dating a drug dealer, and I have a feeling she met her via using the drugs. Makes sense, not good, but it makes sense to me. "How do you know her, though?"

Good question, which I answered by showing her the barely visible track marks on my arm. "User, albeit not anymore, I just smoke pot." She nodded in agreement, but it still didn't make me feel good about her using. "Not tonight, but we need to have a talk about using drugs like that. How long has it been?" Shrugging, she thought about it.

"Uh, five maybe six months. We met during the summer at a little rave and started talking." I nodded, turning to leave the garage when she caught me by my arm, halting me. "Naruto, she told me last night she's trying to get out of this life, she's not a bad person, just a good person stuck in a shitty situation." Sighing, I nodded again.

When we returned to the living room, I found Asuka embroiled in a deep conversation with Hinata about...guitars. Specifically the one Hinata had brought. "I love Yamaha, they've always been good to me, I have a mini classical I've been playing for the longest time." Hinata nodded to that, passing the guitar to her.

Grabbing a pic and tossing it to her as well, she watched as Asuka threw the strap over her shoulder. "Show me whatcha got, the strings I have on there are a lot easier to play with." Shaking my head at the situation, I walked over to the two, getting ready to 'introduce' myself to Asuka.

I stuck my hand out to Asuka, as she took it and shook it. "Hey there, I'm Naruto, you're Asuka right?" She nodded, smiling. Then Hinata smiled, as they both looked at me. I looked around, seeing Sasuke, Sakura and Ino in a conversation and Shika making him and Temari a drink. No one to save me.

After a second of weird staring, Hinata spoke sweetly to me. "Oh, Naruto-kun, me and Asuka her already had a talk about you." Gulping, I nodded quietly, accepting my doom. "But, no worries, I understand why you'd wanna wait till later to tell me. We're just lucky we can talk low where no one can hear us." Phew, I'm safe. For now, at least. I'll know for sure later.

All I know is, this was gonna be a fun night.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 19th, 10:00 pm._

A few hours had passed since the last crew showed up in Ino and Asuka, and we were all positively getting drunk. I was already kinda drunk, or really tipsy. Okay yea I'm drunk. But I don't care really. "Hey, let's play truth or dare!" Sakura called out, as the girls all agreed including me. What could go wrong?

The guys begrudgingly agreed, as we all took seats, couples seated together. Well, couples, Ino and Asuka. "Well, it's not gonna be your typical high school who-loves-who truth or dare, but I'm down." I smiled when Naruto said that, sitting to my left. We flipped a coin to see who would go first, which Sasuke won. He looked at Naruto with a devious smile.

Most of the game was your typical embarrassing questions and dares, nothing too risqué. Until an hour later, when me and the girls were all drunk and the boys were getting there. Sakura had just answered a question about her most embarrassing date ever, when she turned her sight on Ino and Asuka.

"You two look like such a cute pair, so Ino, I dare you to kiss Asuka." The two girls blushed a tiny bit, before they kissed. It looked a bit too natural, to be honest. Like they had done this before.

Which was confirmed when they didn't stop right after, keeping it up for a minute. With a deep breath, the broke it. "You guys do know that we're a thing, right?" Asuka asked us, to which we all just shrugged. It wasn't really made obvious. Of course we weren't going to judge, especially not me and Sakura.

Shikamaru let out a soft laugh. "Well then, Sakura pretty much did you two a favor then." True enough. A few hours had passed of all of us just getting drunker than we should've. Soon after, it was about one thirty when a sober Temari decided it would be best if she left with him, whisking him home. Sasuke and Naruto bowed out, leaving just us girls.

We headed out to the garage, away from the boys, where Ino and Asuka would be sleeping. It was insulated well thankfully, and had two big space heaters making it hot enough to make even the hottest of fires blush.

Pulling up chairs in front of one, we all relaxed, grabbing a bottle of liquor each and some soda, taking straight shots and chasing them with soda. "So." I paused to cough a bit. "How long have you and Ino been a thing, Asuka-chan?" She must be a pro, because she was drinking the bourbon like it was just water.

Wiping some of it from her mouth, she smiled softly. "Well, since last night really." She went on to explain what had happened, including them hooking up, in lesser detail. "After that I knew that it felt right, and well that we really did care for each other, so yea." Us being the sappy women we are just hugged her, which she accepted with a grin.

Ino sat idly by and watched us socialize, smiling at the sense of family we had. "So I'm gonna talk to my parents today and see if she can hunker down with me for a week or so until the stuff with the gang blows over." I think she secretly wants her there just for sex and cuddles, but hey, sex and cuddles are fun.

It started getting hot in there, and even after we turned the space heater down we were burning up, a bad day for me to wear a turtleneck. "Ugh, it's so hot. I wish I could take my shirt off but all I have on underneath is a bra." I don't think they'd like that very much, well, except Sakura, who was obsessed with my D-cups.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'll be shirtless with you." I blushed a bit when Asuka said that, but even more when she actually took her shirt off. "See? Feel better?" It actually did, as I removed my shirt as well, feeling a lot better with my sweaty, clammy skin airing out.

The remaining two shirted girls looked at each other, before they too removed their tops. And here we had me in a black bra, Sakura and Asuka in a red one and Ino with her white one. If the boys walked in on this, well, they'd probably need to go take a cold shower, if yano what I mean.

Four topless girls in the garage, yea, it'd make even a saint blush. "I didn't realize how much of a rack you had before now, Hinata." Ino laughed out, pushing me gently as I blushed. These girls were gonna kill me with compliments if they didn't stop.

Naturally the topic of conversation came to sex and, er, biggest 'things' we've ever had. "Well, me and Sakura have only been with one guy, so out knowledge is pretty mute." Someone had to ask how big Naruto was, I think Ino, keeping my blush going. "Er, I think about...eight inches?"

I don't think Sakura wanted to know that about her long time friend, as she choked a bit on her liquor. "I didn't think it was that big, to be honest." I gave her a weird look, to which she just blushed and smiled. "Just because I've known him years doesn't mean my mind doesn't wander." True enough, but I haven't thought about Sasuke like that.

But we haven't known each other since we were kids. "My biggest personally was ten inched and man, that sucked." Damn, Asuka, how the hell are you still alive. Ino just nodded, signifying that hers was about the same too. "What about Sasuke, Ms. Sakura?" It was only fair to ask, in my opinion.

"Seven, we actually measured it one day." She laughed, rubbing her eyes with her hand. "Of course, all of us here have slept with another woman, too." I don't think they knew me and her had slept together as Ino just made a shocked face.

She started sputtering a bit. "You two?" We nodded as she gestured to us. "When?" I explained the story to my best recollection, as Asuka and Ino blushed, slowly grabbing each others hands. "Wow, I didn't think it would happen, but it really is kinda... _hot_." Is it hot, two women sleeping together? I guess so.

Asuka had other thoughts though, as she grinned a bit. "Well I don't think the men would mind, it makes the idea of a threesome more likely with another girl, and guys love threesomes." Some do, would Naruto? I'll have to ask one day. "I was in a foursome once, but it was all women." Jesus, four women? I could barely manage me and Sakura, let alone two more girls.

Albeit I was handling being topless, sex was a whole other thing. "I don't think I could manage doing that, I can barely manage being topless right now and that's with a bra on." Sakura, Ino and Asuka shared a smile, as I got worried about what was coming next.

I damn near passed out when all three of them released the hooks on their bras, dropping them to the floor and letting their breasts hang freely. "Care to join us, Hinata-chan?" Blushing bright red when Ino said that, I squeaked and nodded, slowly undoing my bra and dropping it. "They look even better naked, babe." Do they?

"We might as well be fully naked, if I'm being honest." I shouldn't have said that, as they took it as a sign to remove their pants as well, leaving their panties on. "Damn it, I didn't mean it like that." Laughing, I followed their suit, sitting their in my pretty much nakedness.

Leaning into my ear, Sakura whispered softly. "You know, we could always have our own little foursome here." The way she spoke turned me on, as my pussy started throbbing. She kissed my cheek, running a hand down my stomach.

Before I knew it, Asuka had decided to take a seat on my lap, straddling me in the chair and kissing me deeply, Ino and Sakura sharing their own kiss. I took a deep breath in through my nose, inhaling Asuka's perfume as we slipped our tongues into the kiss, moaning and groping each other. Standing up, I walked her over to the bed they had in the garage, laying her down.

Suddenly I was on top now, our breasts pressing together as we tongued each others mouths, our nipples rubbing together causing us to moan. I was surprised for a moment when someone removed my panties from behind, and even more shocked when their tongue dove into me, moan into Asuka's mouth.

It must have been Ino, as Sakura stood next to the bed, over Asuka and me, grabbing Asuka's hand and guiding it to her own pussy, making her finger it as me and her made out. I could feel Ino down there fingering Asuka while still eating me out, causing us both to moan in pleasure.

Right as soon as I was about to reach climax, I heard someone's name calling out for me in the distance. My eyes suddenly shot open, as I quickly realized it was just a dream. It was just a dream.

It was just a _wet, hot, steamy_ dream. "Hinata, you ok? You kinda just passed out on us." Ino said, being the one who shook me awake.

Blushing, I realized we actually did get topless. "Y-yea, just tired, I think I'm ready to get to bed with Naruto-kun." I stood up, grabbing my shirt and throwing it on before waving goodnight to the girls. Feeling my crotch, I knew I was soaking wet from that dream, so I grabbed my bag and headed to the restroom, changing into some fluffy pajama bottoms and a tank top.

I cracked the door open to the spare bedroom me and Naruto were staying in, climbing into bed with him and curling up next to his warm body.

Hopefully I'll dream again, this time of the blonde headed kid I call my lover next to me.

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV**

* * *

 _November 20th, 3:45 am._

Mikoto had went to bed an hour ago, leaving me up with my own thoughts. I sat out in the garage, just smoking a blunt and cigarettes that Naruto had left here. Forty years and a shit ton of stress and I never thought to try one until now. Grabbing the old guitar I had stowed away in the attic, I started strumming, a tune known to most as 'the thunder rolls'

 _Three thirty in the mornin', not a soul in sight. The city's looking like a ghost town on a moonlight summer night._

 _Raindrops on the windshield there's a storm movin' in. He's headed back from somewhere that he never should have been._

 _And the thunder rolls, and the thunder rolls._

Onto the next verse, I started picking up a bit of volume and speed, falling neatly into a groove with myself and the tempo of the song.

 _Every light is burnin' in a house across town, she paces by the telephone in her faded flannel gown._

 _Asking' for a miracle, hopin' she's not right. Prayin' it's the weather that's kept him out all night._

 _And the thunder rolls, and the thunder rolls._

I pounded the next chords, bellowing out the chorus, not caring about my surroundings or who could possibly be listening. My sleeping companion was a heavy sleeper anyhow, so I know I'm good in that department.

 _The thunder rolls, and the lightning strikes. Another love grows cold, on a sleepless night._

 _As the storm blows on out of control, deep in her heart, the thunder rolls._

The storm that rolled in a few minutes ago was pounding the house, the flashes of lightning creeping just under the garage door. I needn't worry about flooding, thankfully, it's a raised house. As the wind and rain assaulted the house, I kept on with my song, keeping the rhythm going.

 _She's waiting by the window, as he pulls into the drive. She rushes out to hold him, thankful he's alive._

 _But on the wind and rain a strange new perfume grows. And the lightnin' flashes in here eyes, and he knows that she knows._

 _And the thunder rolls, and the thunder rolls.  
_  
Chorus again, and then my favorite part of the song.

 _The thunder rolls, and the lightnin' strikes. Another love grows cold, on a sleepless night._

 _As the storm blows on out of control, deep in her heart, the thunder rolls._

Even if this next part of the song is okaying murder in retaliation to someone cheating on you, it's so damn empowering.

 _She runs back down the hallway, to the bedroom door. She reaches for the pistol kept in the dresser drawer._

 _Tells the lady in the mirror, he won't do this again. Because tonight will be the last night, she wonder's where he's been._

 _And the thunder rolls, and the thunder rolls.  
_  
I finished the last chorus strong, letting the guitar ring out as I sat there in the silence, accompanied only by the sound of the storm outside the house. Strangely, I heard a knock on the front door, barely noticing it through the loud wind and rushing rain water.

Heading over to the door, I slipped a robe on over my spaghetti string tank top, sliding my flip flops on. I looked through the peephole, not being able to see anything. Another set of knocks came, making me jump a little bit at the spontaneousness of them. Cracking the door open, I caught a glimpse of who the late night/early morning knocker was.

My eyes went wide, letting the door swing open all the way as I took a few steps back in shock, lip trembling in an array of emotions, my throat tightening, preventing me from speaking if I even wanted to.

But I did.

"M-Minato-kun..." I stuttered and sputtered out, trying to find the right reaction.

"Kushina-hime." His smile killed me, I couldn't take it anymore.

*thud*

"Oh god!"

* * *

 **A/N:** A cliffhanger, sure, let's go with that. In other news, sorry about all the yuri love in this chapter. Next few chapters I'm just gonna do some fluffy stuff, maybe a lemon, but I'll try to keep it down until Christmas time. Any-who, read and review (sorry for the rhyme, it won't happen next time). Favorite's and follow's are greatly appreciated, ja ne!


	11. Homecoming

**A/N:** Things are about to pick up! It's holiday time, relationships are growing, drama is around the corner, and with an evil plan lurking around the corner, things could easily go from heaven to hell in a heartbeat. Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER** : I do NOT own Naruto or any character/places associated with it. No lyrics this chapter, but nonetheless intense.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _November 20th, 1:15 pm._

Man, last night was one helluva night. No hangover, no drunken mistake ridden sex, and I woke up to Hinata-chan clung to my body like a koala bear clings to a tree. I stretched my arms out, careful not to wake the sleeping woman next to me, before sliding out of bed and sliding on my shoes, heading to the kitchen.

Sasuke was already up to, as we shared a look of agreement and acknowledgment. "Your girl still asleep, too?" I nodded, as he waved me over, just pointing to the coffee pot that was on, brewing a fresh pot of the black gold. "Ino and Asuka left about thirty minutes ago so it's just us and the girls." Phew, I liked them but I'm delaying the inevitable.

Which is mine and Hinata's conversation about her. All I had to do is tell her I never slept with her, just bought, hug her and buy her ice cream. Simple, right? "What's on the agenda today, teme?" I wasn't quite ready to go home just yet, I know mom and Mikoto are still hanging out and they planned on doing things today anyways.

"I don't know, all I know is my mom told me to tell you not to come home until they give you the clear, something about a surprise." The raven headed boy muttered while pouring me and him a cup of the hot, black coffee. I dumped a bit of sugar in mine before stirring it, taking a sip and letting the warmth of it coat my throat, the caffeine hitting me.

I know my mom did early Christmas shopping often, but not this early, so whatever it is it's best I steer clear. "We still down to barbecue and watch the Fire game tomorrow?" The Konoha fire were the professional football team of Konoha, not often successful, but just enough to stay relevant. He nodded, placing his forehead onto the bar.

Like every other guy, we had dreams of making it to the ILF, international league of football, someday. But now, we're not so sure, we loved football yes but we've all grown up a lot since our junior high and freshman days. Some people were destined for it, like Rock-fuckin'-Lee. Others not so much, like Shikamaru.

Believe it or not, people like Choji will make it, he's a really good lineman. Shino, even though he's weird, would make a good coordinator. Neji still had his dream of making it to the IAB, international association of basketball, and I believe he will, how far though is anyone's guess. I hope for the best, but college will tell.

As for me, I'm just gonna go to college for business, as well as Hinata, so we can in time take over control of our parent's respective businesses. Sasuke wants to get into the mechanic and automotive industry, and Sakura with her interest in becoming a counselor. Who'd have thought at eighteen we'd already have our plans for the future, in spite of the dark clouds we all carry.

Shikamaru was talking about getting a degree in engineering, something useful and easy to find a job with to support him and Temari, and the blonde haired fiancée of his was looking into a future in advertising and economics, something she can handle at home. College won't be easy with a kid, but they gotta try.

A pair of arms wrapped around my chest from behind, the smell of lavender letting me know it was my now-awake girlfriend. "Good morning, er, afternoon handsome." She planted a kiss on my cheek, before taking a seat next to me at the bar.

I smiled as Sakura joined us a few minutes later. We sat around sipping coffee and chatting like a group of schoolgirls at lunch time after they just saw the quarterback kissing the nerd under the bleachers after the football game.

We were sitting there looking at the ultrasound pictures Temari had texted to the girls. A healthy baby, no gender yet, but it's a little over two months into her term. "Man, how things have changed in the last two months." Sasuke sighed out, leaning his back onto the bar, his hand intertwined with our pink haired friends. Indeed, these last two months have flown by quickly.

Between the party, Sasuke and Sakura finding love, me and Hinata too, Shikamaru and Temari's pregnancy, life has started to fly by and pieces start to find their places in our lives. Not much could make this better than it is, nothing I can think of off the top of my head.

Looking at my friends that are family, I smiled, content with what I have.

Tomorrow's skies look a little bit bluer than before.

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV**

* * *

 _November 20th, 12:30 pm._

Ugh, what happened last night? The last thing I remember is playing that song, smoking a ton of pot, and then someone knocked on the door and I passed out, hitting my head on the floor nasty. Speaking of which, I'm surprised my head isn't pounding like a fuckin' gong right now.

I tried to recollect any memories of last night, but it's not going in my favor currently. Opening my eyes ceased to work, as the light from the outside just blinded me, it's not like I'm hungover or anything so...wait, who's voices are those outside of the door? "Mikoto-chan?" I managed to choke out, as the door to my room opened.

A weight appeared on my bed next to me, accompanied by a soft hand running through my hair. I smiled in relief that it was who I thought it was. "Hey, 'Kushi, how're you feeling? You took quite the nasty spill last night." How was I feeling? Confused, in pain via the lump on my head, and still wondering who was at the door last night at four in the morning.

Prying my eyes open, I forced a small smile. "My head hurts, but surprisingly no headache." I didn't mention the stranger at the door just yet, I don't know if she even knew why I collapsed randomly. Maybe I was just too high and was tripping.

Maybe perhaps quite literally tripping. "Do you remember who was at the door last night?" Ok, well maybe she did know. Shaking my head, she motioned to the door, whistling as the door swung open. And strutting in came the ghost I had hoped to forget.

Tears started to sting my eyes, from a culmination of everything, my throat tightening up quite uncomfortably. "M-M-Minato..." Just like last night, I barely managed to choke out his name, in sadness for the way I treated him and anger at myself. "W-what are y-you doing h-here?"

God, look at me, a stuttering sputtering mess in bed at noon on a Saturday afternoon surrounded by my estranged baby daddy and best friend. "Hi, Kushi-hime." His smile killed me inside as he spoke, like he was pretending like I never broke his heart, leaving him in the dead of the night to run away like a little girl. "It's been too long, no?" No shit, Sherlock fuckin' Holmes.

It angered me a little how he was dodging the question, and he knows not to anger me. "Minato." I managed to speak strongly, sitting up now. "Don't dodge the question, it's not everyday the man you forced out and ran away from shows up at your door, in the rain, at four in the morning. So, why are you here?" It's a simple question, really.

He smiled again, I think he somehow knows that it's killing me. I deserve it, though, honestly. "Simply put, it's time I become a part of Naruto's life." But why now? You had eighteen years to track me down, it's not like I was hiding well either, I'm the leader of a company that works with the army that _you_ command.

"Why? Why now all of a sudden?" And there goes my top. No, not my shirt, perverts. My temper. "I left you eighteen years ago. Eighteen _fucking_ years ago and now you want to come running back to me? I admit it, I was being a bitch and kinda fucked you, but when I left you just let me go. So why did you just come looking for me?" I was surprised I managed to hold my tears in.

Nah, this is just anger. "Kushina, you had your thing and I was just beginning my term as a district manager, on my way to being the Hokage a few shorty years later. I genuinely thought that you didn't love me, if your note was any indicative of how you felt." He reached into his pocket, pulling out the note I left him all those years ago.

With a shaking hand I grabbed the note I had scrawled out on the night I left. The contents were as such:

 _"Dear Minato,  
I can't go on like this anymore, you have your stuff and I have my company to worry about.  
I only want what's best for our little boy, Naruto, and the village getting word of an premarital kid would ruin your reputation.  
So, in hindsight, I'm doing both of us a favor by leaving, don't come looking for me, because it'll only cause more heartbreak and troubles.  
By the time you get back from Wave in three days, my stuff will already be moved from the house to my new apartment, which you'll have a fun time finding.  
Please don't take this personally, because again I'm only doing this for both of our sakes.  
Maybe there will be a time where we can reconcile and reconnect, but I don't see that happening anytime in the near future.  
Farewell, love Kushina."_

The paper started getting moistened by my tears, as they pattered against it making the audible sound. "You held on, all these years..." I whispered out, my thoughts trailing off into the past, and where this all started.

 ** _Flashback - August 18th, 1989, 11:00 pm._**

God I loved being twenty. It made partying less of a burden. Of course my parents didn't approve, but when did they ever approve of anything I did short of my college classes for my business degree, with that being the only thing we agreed on. I knew I was destined to take over one day.

But, for now, I was the hot, single red haired chick drunk at a party in the corner trying not to hurl and desperately searching for my friends. Of course, it eventually came, as I spilled my guts outside.

To my surprise, a pair of rough yet gentle hands caressed my neck, pulling my hair out of the firing line of the vomit. I coughed and hacked for a few minutes, before I turned with watery eyes, gazing at my helper.

"You ok, ma'am?" Blonde hair, blue eyes, and the cutest accent. Yep, I was in heaven. In fact, I pinched myself a bit to make sure I wasn't dreaming. He let out a little laugh at my actions. "No you're not dreaming, but I feel like I am, 'cuz I've just seen the most beautiful angel ever." Oh lord, can you just fuck me now?

I smiled, hugging him softly. "Thank you, sir. I guess I drank a little more than I should've tonight." I didn't realize I was blushing, but he did. He dug into his pocket, grabbing a business card, presumably from his parents business.

Knowing what this meant, my heart jumped a bit. "Well, I'd be honored if I could get your phone number, so next time I can be there early and don't have to swoop in like I did just now." I like this man right here, he's as cute as a button, handsome and smoother than butter. Jotting down my number, I evacuated the situation quickly after kissing his cheek.

This feels like the start of something beautiful.

 ** _July 10th, 1990, 7:00 pm._**

It's hard to believe that, in a little over a month, me and Minato-kun would have been together a whole year. We got together soon after the incident on the 'welcome to junior year' party. And soon, we both would be starting our senior year. "Minatooooo, are you ready dear?" I hollered from the living room.

When he came strutting out wearing his dress pants, dark orange dress shirt and black tie paired with his dress shoes, I knew this was gonna go well. We had a dinner with my parents. "Ready as ready can be, hime." His lips engulfed mine in a strong kiss before we headed out to the restaurant.

"Happy birthday, hime."

 _ **9:00 pm.**_

Well, that went well. "C'mon baby, it could've been worse, right?" I'm not mad at him, but yea no it went pretty rough. His sheepish smile melted me, though, I couldn't stay mad at him for long.

I laughed a little, punching him on the arm. "You told my dad to, and I quote, go take his thoughts and cram them up his ass, and that you didn't care what he thought of us, that we were gonna be happy with or without their approval." The more I thought about it, the funnier it got, as we both dissolved into a fit of laughs.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulder, leading me into his apartment he had not far from the campus of the college we attended, Konoha Tech. "Well, it's true, right?" Yeah, it is, we're happy and that's all that should matter. It's not like Minato's been getting me in trouble, or anything. Well, besides that one protest on higher tuition where an officer had to remove me from the campus all while I was screaming 'fuck the police'.

Other than that, things have been _fine._

 ** _December 25th, 1990, 3:00 am._**

"Merry Christmas, my beautiful princess."

"Merry Christmas, my handsome prince."

We shared a lovers kiss, as we were wrapped in each others arms, drifting off to sleep.

 _ **January 10th, 1991, 3:00 pm.**_

I paced the floors anxiously in front of him, trying to gather my thoughts, his gaze peering into me like I was made of glass. I suddenly stopped in front of him, before uttering those two fateful words. "I'm pregnant." He stood up, scaring me for a second, before launching himself over the coffee table and engulfing me in a deep and intense hug.

"I'm gonna be a father!" He exclaimed, as if he wanted to tell the entire world. I smiled, my heart feeling happy, yet at the same time I felt...weird. Was this how it felt to have a family? And what about my parents?

I'm so confused...

 _ **May 15th, 1991, 6:00 pm.**_

I was numb all over. A freak accident just took my mother and fathers lives, a car crash attributed to a brake failure in the front, something the manufacturer should've noticed before main production even began on vehicle.

Minato just laid there and held me, letting me spill all the tears I could, exhausting my energy till I couldn't cry anymore. And now, I'm just...numb. After all the delusional and mentally straining crying, I couldn't find any motivation to do anything. Even if he and my parents never got along, Minato paid his respects.

What am I supposed to do now?

 _ **July 15th, 1991, 10:15 pm.**_

Two months, long and exhausting. It's been two long and exhausting months since my parents died. We graduated a few weeks after, somehow, I managed to power through the stress. Me and Minato-kun's relationship has been dismal at best, I'm finding it hard to show my love or even feel love. Six months pregnant and being forced to learn company shit isn't helping.

With his political career picking up, Minato hasn't had as much time to spend with me, and vice versa. I can feel the cracks slowly expanding, and it hurts, but there's nothing I can do about it.

That's the part that hurts the most. I can't do anything to help it. Mental health deteriorating, I have to start thinking about what's best for me and Naruto, my little baby boy.

 _ **October 10th, 1991, 4:45 am.**_

"Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy!" I was exhausted, a killer ten hour labor bout that I had just won was coming to a close, as I held my son in my arms, his father standing over me, hand in mine.

"My little Naruto, it's about time you got here." He muttered. About time? Was he getting sick of me being pregnant? I looked towards him but only caught his smile, the one that tears apart my insides every time I see it.

This isn't gonna be fun.

 ** _December 16th, 1991, 2:00 am._**

Minato, I'm sorry, but this is how it has to be. I had the apartment in my name and it was stocked with all that I'd need to survive until I get my bearings.

Maybe one day we can reconcile.

Maybe...

 _ **Flashback end - present time. November 20th, 2010, 1:00 pm.**_

I was practically choking on my tears now, not realizing that I had been so lost in my thoughts that I had ignored everything Minato and Mikoto had said. Then everything got numb again, my throat tightened up as I fell off the bed and to the side, collapsing onto my hands and knees as my friend and ex lover rushed over to check on me.

Rolling over onto my back, I gasped for air while grabbing my throat, with Minato barking at Mikoto to call an ambulance. It only took them a few minutes to get here, as they loaded me up onto the stretcher and wheeled me off, my vision blurring over before going black.

How am I gonna explain this one to Naruto-kun?

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 20th, 1:00 pm._

Me and Asuka were sitting here at the hospital, getting her an exam. Part of moving in with me, which by the way my parents said yes, was that she needed to go have an exam done, to assure there's nothing wrong with her from all the drugs or sex.

Unsurprisingly, this is only her third time being in the hospital, or at the doctors in general. If you're our age, you can't go to the doctor every other week with injuries or drug problems without them getting suspicious and calling the law.

Still, she was quite untrusting of doctors. Squeezing my hand for comfort, I looked at her and smiled, kissing her cheek gently. The doctor walked in shortly after the kiss, introducing himself and looking over her files. "Well, Ms. Into, looks like there isn't much here to go on besides the flu once a few years back and a dislocated thumb. Any reason for that?"

She looked at him tentatively, hand shaking a bit. "Well, I've not always had the money or health insurance to visit the doctors, so anything that wasn't major I had to forgo the ER." It wasn't a lie, just not the truth with a backstory.

The doctor was seemingly okay with that answer, choosing not to ask anymore questions about it, wisely so. "So today we'll do a simple exam, draw some blood and test it for any illnesses or diseases, is that okay?" Asuka nodded, ready to get along with the exam. "If you feel more comfortable, we can have a female physician perform it."

"I'd like that, thank you." She said strongly, as the doctor nodded in acceptance. "Can Ino-chan stay in here for it though? She helps me not feel nervous." With another nod, the doctor headed out of the room, off to fetch the female attending who will be conducting the exam.

I laid a hand on my red headed girlfriends shoulder, rubbing it gently. "Nervous, babe?" I asked, putting my arm down now on her leg. Feeling her shake a bit, I rubbed it softly, trying to comfort and calm her down.

Sighing, she smiled, kissing my lips. "I'm fine, love, just a little nervous." A second later, a blonde haired doctor looking to be in her mid twenties came through the door, clipboard in hand. Her name was apparently Mikasa, a pretty name for a pretty doctor.

"Hello, Ms. Into, can you please remove your pants and shirt so we can start this physical exam." The doctor politely ordered, as Asuka begrudgingly agreed, hastily dropping the articles of clothing, pushing them aside. The attending doctor walked around, examining her body, ignoring a few minor bruises she had, before examining her posture and ribs. "Okay, all clear, next can you remove your undergarments."

Here was my queue again to grab her hand, rubbing it again. Asuka smiled at me, before removing the all black bra and panties she had on. "Alrighty Ms. Into, just lay on the bed and spread your legs so I can get a look at your vaginal area." Admittedly even I would feel a bit weird with this, but it needed to be done.

After she did as she was told, the doctor started examining her, observing the skin around it and the organ itself. "Have you had any discomfort while using the restroom, showering, bathing or participating in any sexual activities?" Asuka shook her head, once more getting the all clear.

Next was the breast exam, as she maneuvered her hands around Asuka's decently filled out chest. "Well Ms. Into, everything checks out. Since in the pre-exam questionnaire you admitted to being sexually active I'm gonna go ahead and prescribe you YAZ, an oral birth control pill." Yea, I don't think that's needed.

Asuka raised a hand in protest. "Well, you see, I'm not sexually active with _males_ , just me and my partner here, Ms. Mikasa." Making an 'oh' face, she nodded firmly, informing Asuka to redress and get ready for the blood exam.

The blood exam didn't take long, just a few measly vials of blood to be sent to the examiner. It would take a couple of hours to get the results, but they were fairly certain that she was clean of any disease or illness.

We headed to leave, waltzing through the halls, before a doctor stopped us, informing us an incoming patient was coming and the hallway needed to be clear. Sure enough, a few seconds later a group of doctors came rushing by with a gurney, followed by Mikoto-san and...the fourth Hokage? "What the hell is going on?" I asked out loud, peering around the corner.

They had stopped at an elevator, allowing me to catch a glimpse of who was sitting on the gurney. "I-Is that Naruto's mom, Kushina I believe." Asuka asked, as I dismally nodded, wondering to myself even more.

It's not just the fact that she's here, but also who was with her, the fourth Hokage himself.

What, indeed, was going on?

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV**

* * *

 _November 20th, 1:45 pm._

I just sat in my room, my sleeping wife-to-be in my bed next to me. Looking over the ultrasound pictures, I smiled, a small tear threatening the corner of my eye. Wiping it away, I laid back down, draping my arm over the sleeping form of my blonde haired love.

But I couldn't sleep, not only because it was damn near two in the afternoon, but because I had so much on my mind. I slipped out of bed, heading down the stairs and into the basement, where I knew I'd find my dad. As I guessed, he was sitting there at his desk, looking over papers. "Oh, son, whatcha doing down here?" He asked, spinning around to face me.

Pulling up a spare chair, I sat down, looking my old man in the eye. "Just thinking about Temari and our kid, yano?" My father nodded, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and lit one up, offering me one. We had never shared moments like this, so I accepted it, lighting it and taking a drag off of it.

Leaning back in his chair, he blew a cloud of smoke at the roof. "I know how you're feeling son, maybe not this specific situation, but in general. Dealing with a pregnancy is always fun, but you decided to marry her while she's pregnant, and oh man you fucked up there." He laughed, clapping a hand onto my shoulder.

Yeah, admittedly it was a bad move on my part, but a good one. I couldn't wait any longer, it just felt right. "Yea, yea, it wasn't the brightest idea, but it was the right time to do so. We needed this last little bit of reaffirmation that our love was one hundred percent all in with each other." At least he understood that, nodding firmly.

"I get ya, son. It was indeed the right move to make right now. I know you two are happy too, so I can't be mad." I would certainly hope not. Him and my mom married mid college, so they weren't, like, a millennia older than I am. Maybe a few years at the most. "So, I heard you've been doing some digging involving Kushina and my boss, yes?" Ah shit, I forgot that he worked under the fourth directly.

Sheepishly grinning, I put a hand behind my head. "I have no idea what you're talking about, dad." I tried to lie, but it didn't work, not like I expected it to either. "Okay, yea, me and Naruto have been doing some digging, but it was me and solely me that put in for the birth records." My dad looked at me kind of disapprovingly.

And then he pulled out the records from his desk, handing them to me. "You didn't get them from me, son. I'm only doing this as a favor to Naruto. He deserves the truth." Accepting the papers with a shocked face, I started flipping through them, landing on what I wanted.

"Naruto Uzumaki, born October tenth, nineteen ninety-one, at four forty-five in the morning." Okay, this is something we already knew. "Parents signatures, Kushina Uzumaki and...Minato Namikaze..." So it was true, after all. I sat there staring at the papers in awe. Naruto needs to hear this, but not right now, later.

Clearing his throat, my father prepared to speak. "To be honest, I've known this for a while, working with the man on long nights means we've fostered a friendship that led to him confiding in me. I have a feeling Minato will try to reenter Naruto's life soon anyways." But that leaves the question, why did he leave in the first place?

"Why did he leave anyways, dad?" With a grunt, he started retelling the story that had been told to him by Minato. Everything was going well, but one night she left when he was off on a business trip. For the better, in her head. "Damn, I can't believe Ms. Kushina would do something like that." And it was true, she didn't peg me as the type of person to do that.

But that was a different time in her life. She had just lost her parents, she was going through a lot of tremendous mental stress, a new kid and her lover was always out on business and up late doing paperwork.

It made a bit more sense to me, but I didn't understand why he just stayed away. Surely you think he could've found out where she was with his powers, but he didn't. Instead he opted to wait until Naruto had grown up and turned eighteen to try and reinsert himself into the equation. That, right there, makes no fuckin' sense to me.

A buzzing came from my phone, and the text that followed with it ended our conversation early, as I leapt up, explaining to my dad what was going on, before bolting up the stairs and into my room, getting my shoes on.

Kushina was in the hospital.

* * *

 **MINATO-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 20th, 2:00pm._

Mikoto had just texted Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru, my friend Shikaku's son. I admit I've kinda been using Shikaku to keep semi-tabs on Naruto's growth. I could've done it myself, and should've, but I didn't.

Why didn't I? I keep asking myself that. It seems the more time passed I couldn't help but want to be there. But her note, it hurt me more than she probably thought it did. I really did think she hated me, why else would she leave in the dead of the night when I was gone?

This isn't the ideal situation for me finally meeting Naruto again, but it seems as if I have no other choice. It's finally time, eighteen years later. Maybe she did want me to come after her, but she didn't make it easy at all. Once she finally settled down at her current house is when I managed to keep a tab on her, but that was just five years ago, right when I was starting my Hokage term.

All I know is, my ex-lover is in the hospital after randomly collapsing, my son that I haven't seen since he was a baby is almost up here, and I don't even know what I'm going to say to him. I can't just say 'hey, I'm your dad, how ya doin'?'.

Wouldn't exactly go well, huh? I wonder if he even knows who I am. Still, even after the love lost and stuff, I cant help but think about the red haired mother of my child in room across from the spot I was sitting in. They were still running tests on her, but they got her breathing even and leveled out.

She's still unconscious, unfortunately. I'm sure she's wondering why I was at her door at four in the morning. I was just wandering around aimlessly thinking about her and Naruto when I ended up at her house, and heard her playing her guitar and singing.

Mustering up all the courage and balls I could, I knocked on the door. And then she passed out, knocking her head pretty bad. Could this be the cause of what just happened? It doesn't make sense, there has to be a reason for it all. Something deeper, something we probably don't want to know, but we're gonna have to deal with it. As a family, hopefully.

A family, something I don't have right now. My parents are far away, living out life in a peaceful country growing crops and raising livestock. Ever since my father was in the four year war with Sound, he wanted peace, and he found it. The war happened in the sixties, before technology picked up, and it was an onslaught.

The year was nineteen sixty-seven, my father was eighteen and an ensign in the military when the village of Sound was provoking us and Sand with attacks if we didn't give them the land of Tea, which was a strategically important location for them, since it gave them the resources they needed. Including coast access.

Of course we didn't give, and a war ensued. The people of Tea fought valiantly alongside us and Sunagakure, and four years later the regime of the leader of Sound was toppled. Relations could be better nowadays, but the Orochimaru regime is in full effect, a blind dictatorship.

I was born shortly after, and around the time I turned twenty five, they decided to move off into a desolate, barren land besides the fertile land, perfect for raising the crops and livestock they depend on. I'm speculating it's somewhere in the land of Tea, but they haven't told me yet. Leader of the biggest militaristically powerful nation and I can't even find my parents.

Not that they don't love me anymore, but this is what they want and they know now that I'm Hokage, I'll try to get them back here to live with me or around Konoha. They're not wrong. I want them here because they're getting up there in age. My father is in his sixties, as well as my mother. God bless that woman.

Enough reminiscing, I want answers. A doctor left her room, walking up to me with his clipboard. "It took us a minute to figure out our game plan, sir, but we're going to tale her in for an MRI to see if there was any damage to her head, as of now it looks like a stress related collapse, and the breathing problems were a part of her preexisting anxiety disorder." Anxiety disorder?

Nodding politely, I sat and mulled things over. She never seemed to suffer from any anxiety disorders, maybe a bit self-conscious but never really anxious. She was always a bright star in the black night sky, an outgoing woman.

My time to think was cut short, as a group of people came rushing in, the raven haired Uchiha and Hyuuga, pink haired Haruno and behind them was the worried face of my son, Naruto Uzumaki. I smiled, seeing him worry about his mother made me happy that they have a bond like that, even if we're lacking it.

"Oi, where's my mom at?" He asked a random doctor, who just shrugged and walked off. This is my queue to jump into action. Standing up, I coughed a bit to gather one of their attentions. The group just turned and looked at me at the same time, rather eerily in my opinion.

They walked over to me, not quite sure what to say. Their Hokage was, after all, standing right on front of them. "I believe I can answer that question. She's off for an MRI, but they think she'll be ok." They just continued their stares at me, like a deer caught in the headlights.

It took a minute, but one of them finally spoke up. "Uh, Hokage-sama?" The dark haired girl muttered out, as I turned to her and nodded, flashing a smile. "Well, er, why are you here with Naruto's mom?" Oh boy, great question, but not one I can answer out in the open.

Smiling, I walked over to them. "Well, if you could follow me, I'd like to explain in private. You all deserve to know." I'm hoping he'll take the news better with his friends around. I went to the floor administrators desk, asking where the nearest empty room I could commandeer is, which was met with a finger point to an empty room.

Following me to the room, they were suspiciously quiet but nonetheless confident in their demeanor. We all took a seat, as I started mentally going over what I was going to say to them. "Well, Hokage-sama?" The raven haired boy asked, presumably a bit impatient.

And so it started, with a deep breath I cleared my head of any doubts. "Well, me and your mom go back quite a while, Mr. Naruto." I had his attention now. "There's no easy way to put this, but back in nineties when I was just starting in politics and your mother was taking control of the company after her parents death, we were a couple." I think they're starting to piece this together.

Sasuke, if I'm correct about his name, was sitting there calmly observing, as well as the Haruno girl, Sakura I believe. Naruto, on the other hand was on the edge of his seat. This is, after all, having to do with his mom. "Er, if you could, let me finish before you speak." They nodded, including my blonde haired offspring.

I took another deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Once we found out she was pregnant, I was ecstatic, but your mother over the months seemed less excited, and more tired and disinterested in our relationship." I know he knows what I'm here to say, but he's waiting for me to say it. "And, well, you were born. I'm your father, Naruto-kun."

He stared at me for a solid few minutes, letting it all sink in, his hand over his mouth in a thinking position. "Dad." My heart jumped a bit, hearing him call me dad. "Go fuck yourself." What? He lunged forward, punching me on the cheek solidly. I fell over to the side momentarily, before sitting back up. "You better have a damn good reason for leaving, or this isn't going to end well, Hokage- _sama_." Ow, right in the heart.

Rubbing the spot on my cheek, I dug into my pocket, grasping the note from earlier and thrusting it into his hands. "Read it, Naruto, I didn't choose to leave your mother, she left me." He rethought reading it, before unfolding it, his two friends craned over his shoulder reading along.

He read it, and reread it, and once more just for good measure, before lowering the paper hesitantly. "I have a few questions, and I know you'll answer them." His cold tone stung, but I agreed nonetheless. "One, why didn't you try looking for us. Two, why did you decide to come back now, eighteen years later. And three;" he paused to clear his throat "how's she doing?"

"One, I tried, but you have to understand that your mom is really, really good at hiding when she wants to, and I legitimately thought she hated me." I began, as he seemed content with that answer. "Two, I barely managed to track you guys down five years ago, but that's when I was starting my Hokage term." Another understanding nod.

I started to recollect exactly what the doctor told me. "As for three, you have to hear the story of how it got to this." Pausing to take a sip of water from the bottle in my bag, I continued. "Last night, I was wandering around town after sneaking past security and ended up at her house, your house, where I heard her playing her guitar. Deciding it was now or never, I knocked on the door."

"Your mother answered the door and, when she saw me, she fainted, hitting her head on the ground pretty bad." I could sense the impending 'why am I hearing about this just now' question, raising a hand to halt it. "Me and Mikoto helped her into bed, and she slept it off, waking up this afternoon. Once she saw me again, we talked for a minute about why I left, before she zoned out, and then she collapsed, falling off the bed and clutching her throat."

Reaching into my bag, I grabbed a photo I had spotted sticking out of her pants when she collapsed last night, handing it to him. "We were happy, Naruto, I don't know why she left, but I wanted answers, and this happened. She'll be fine, she just collapsed due to stress and the breathing issue came with her preexisting anxiety issue."

He seemed just as confused as I did about the whole anxiety thing. "She...she never seemed like she had any issues, ne. But she'll be ok, right?" I nodded, smiling. "And you're going to try and fix things?" I nodded once more. "Well then, I guess I have no real reason to be mad. Upset, yes, but right now she's gonna need us to not be at each other's throats."

Agreed, she's gonna need the peace and tranquility of us not arguing. "I'm glad you understand now, and I'm still sorry, I should've tried harder to find you guys." Shifting in my seat a bit, he stood up, offering a handshake to me. I took it, shaking it firmly before he pulled me off the chair and into a stiff hug.

With tears in both of our eyes, we smiled. "Let's go check on mom, no?" I nodded, as we all walked out of the room.

"Dobe, your mom is a big company owner and your dads the Hokage, I don't ever wanna hear you bitch again, k?"

"Shut up, teme."

"Stop fighting before I choke you both!"

"Yes ma'am."

"Yes ma'am...sasukeswhipped-ow!"

Ah, I have so much to catch up on.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 20th, 6:00 pm._

Me and my newfound father had sat in the cafeteria area for a few hours with Sasuke and Sakura just catching up, discussing everything from the younger years of my mom and him to the politics in being the leader of the village. It felt natural, awkwardly, as our personalities meshed together pretty well.

It's all I could ask for. I was still a bit peeved at the fact that he took this long, but I can't help but put myself in his situation and just think about how I'd feel. Admittedly I wouldn't know quite what to do, honestly. I might've done things differently, but I also could've took things even worse. Like, abysmally worse.

So bad that I could've mentally shut down and become a recluse crazy old man who can't move past his past and sits on his front porch drinking coffee and bitching about how things have changed and how kids nowadays have no respect for the elderly or authority. Shit, I already do that to an extent, so I can only imagine myself in twenty or so years.

At least he seemed to like Hinata, admitting to owning a car produced by her fathers company; and old school '71 Phoenix Rambler. Souped up and tuned, of course, it was a beauty of a car, from the pictures he showed us. I took Hinata's hand in mine as we headed back to my mom's room, awaiting her awakening.

According to the doctor, it should be soon after all the anesthetics and drugs they have her on. I hope so, we need to talk. "So, dad." That word felt foreign in my mouth as I spoke. "What do you think will happen when she wakes up? Since you know the situation more than I do." Unfortunately it was true.

He sighed, shaking his head a bit. "I honestly don't know, son. She's either gonna take it good or bad. Probably bad at first, which is why we need to be calm and levelheaded with her, yano?" I nodded, agreeing with him again.

Shikamaru and Temari had came by about thirty minutes after me and my dad had met, citing traffic and Temari's sickness, caused by the pregnancy, as his excuse for tardiness. But, after finding out that she was ok and talking to us for a bit about the whole father situation, they left, presumably to go sleep more. Lazy bastards, they were meant for each other.

We got to the room, surprised to already see her awake, laying in bed as the doctor ran through what happened with her and what her current situation is. She looked, well, dead. No smile, no outward emotions, just an apathetic stare. "Mom..." I breathed out, hurt to see her like this.

She barely managed to give us a small smile before it too died out. Her hair was a wreck, eyes sunken in with bags under them and her skin was paler than it usually is. In short, I never realized how much she really suffered, and how hard she tried to look the part of happy single mother.

The doctor walked up to us, where we were stationed outside of the door, and shut said door, aiming to block out the conversation. "Well, the physical damage isn't so bad, just a minor concussion. It's the mental damage that we're worried about, she seems to be hurt more mentally than anything, and anxiety has taken over her."

I sighed, putting a hand over my eyes. "So, what can we do to help?" I just wanted to do as much as I could to help her get happy again. Then again, when was the last time she was actually happy?

"Well, she can be released tomorrow, but we advised her to stay away from what caused this in the beginning, which she refused to tell us what caused it." My dad sighed, stepping up to the plate. "Hokage-sama, it was you?" He nodded, going into the story of what had happened to the my mom, stressing the fact of doctor-patient confidentiality.

With the doctor making a 'lips sealed' motion, we all nodded in agreement. "This could ruin both of their careers if this gets out, just so you know." I added, just for a bit more of a dramatic effect. Dramatic, but true. "Can I go visit her?" I needed to see her, at least, and hold her hand.

When he nodded, I moved slowly for the door, grasping the handle. Wisely, my dad decided to stay back for now until we know the full extent of what her problem is. Once I swung the door open, I stepped over to her, taking a seat next to her. "N-Naruto-kun." She rasped out, as I reached for her hand, laying mine over hers gently.

"Mom." I spoke softly, my heart twinging at the tears hiding in her eyes. "Mom, I'm sorry things had to go like this, but I want you to know something." Gathering strength in my voice, I prepared to speak. "I'm not mad at you for hiding this, you did what you thought was best, and you've always been there and provided for me." Blood, sweat and tears.

Her hand trembled as she tried to start speaking. "I-I was wrong f-for it, s-s-son. I h-hid the t-t-truth from y-you and your f-f-father." She stuttered out, sitting up a bit in her hospital bed. "H-have you t-two talked yet?" I nodded, rubbing her hand softly. "Good, I-I'm glad to h-hear that y-you two are g-getting a-along."

It hurt more than I thought, seeing her in this place. "Mom, things are gonna get better, ok?" I waited for her to nod, before continuing. "You have me to help you, and I can tell things between you and dad are rough, but I can tell just by how he talks about you that he still loves you, so try to make it work, please?" Once more, she nodded.

Taking a sip of her water, she cleared her throat softly. "S-son, I'll try. It's gonna t-take some work to get me b-back to where I once w-was, but for m-me, you and your f-f-father, I'll try." She put on a solid smile, a few tears leaking from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks as I wrapped in a soft and warm hug. "Thank y-you, son."

I knew what she was thanking me for, for being accepting and not being bitter and angry. "Don't worry about it mom, I owe you more than anything else." She made a movement with her mouth that I could tell said 'why?'. "Well, for everything, even through all of this you made sure I grew up right, and that's more important than money."

We talked for another fifteen minutes, just about anything from sports to food to life in general. It was six thirty when I left, since she was still exhausted from the drugs they had her on, and needed to sleep them off. "I'll be back in the morning ma, since I don't have school." She nodded in agreement, I waved as I walked out of the room. Spotting my friends and girlfriend in a small waiting room sipping coffee, I skipped over to them.

Sasuke and the rest of the crew stood up, stretching out. "I take it that it went well?" He asked, yawning and groaning. I nodded to him, smiling. "Well, that's great, but what do we do now? Sucks we couldn't fire up the pit and watch the game."

I saw the grin on my fathers face, and got a gut feeling about what was coming next. "Well, if it's not too weird, you guys can come check out my place. It's usually empty and boring anyways. We can watch the game there, it starts at seven thirty." I looked to my friends who all just slowly nodded with me.

"I think that's a really good idea...dad."

I hope, at least.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV**

* * *

 _November 20th, 10:30 pm._

I gotta say that this went more well than I thought. We all got to know a little bit more about Naruto's dad, eat some pizza and watch a football game. A lot different than high school ball, professional football is. I'm glad Naruto decided against trying to go pro.

The house, itself, was really...simple. A three bedroom, two bathroom house, in which one of the bedrooms was turned into a home office, and the other left unused but furnished. A two car garage, decent backyard and back porch were there as well. The only thing that sets it off is the massive stone walls surrounding it and the multiple Konoha policemen set to guard him.

In the event of an attack, you _might_ wanna keep your commander-in-chief safe. You never know, it might change the entire course of whatever war or skirmish comes from it. We've been war free since the four years war with the Sound people. That doesn't mean things can't change.

That's the thing, anything can happen. The Orochimaru regime hasn't exactly been the most cooperative, and Stone is showing interest in making the land of Tea theirs to lay claim to. Who knew such a small nation on the coast could be the center of a war. Stone, however, just recently acquired two decently sized islands.

So we're thinking, hopefully, that keeps them from trying to make a move on Tea. Should a war break out, no one is safe from drafting, including me. A part of Konoha's law of 'everyone who can, will' defense clause, if you're over the age of eighteen and fit for service, you're eligible.

Our population isn't the biggest, but it's nothing to shake a stick at. With an estimated six hundred thousand just in Konoha (and suburbs) and another seventy thousand in the outlying areas and lands we 'control', we have the second biggest population, after Stone with their combined seven hundred and eighty-five thousand.

Military wise, we have eighty thousand active personnel, forty thousand being land, twenty thousand seamen and ten thousand airmen, making us the biggest military power. Oh, and the other ten thousand, well, 'don't worry about it'.

Assuming those are special forces and other contingencies, yeah I'd rather not worry about it. There's the rumored 'K5K', a group of highly trained war machines numbering close to five thousand, but that's just a rumor. Let's not forget that over half of our non-military population, which is around three hundred and fifty thousand, is fit for military combat.

In conclusion, I've realized two things. One, don't fuck with Konoha, and two, I read way too fucking much. I need a new hobby, but what? "Hey Naruto-kun, what're you doing after this?" There's always him and his little, er, _friend._ Eh, nah, too much leads to a Temari-Shikamaru situation.

He just shrugged, yawning slightly. "Going home and relaxing, what about you?" I figured as much, it's the only thing _to_ do tonight. No movies, no concerts, just nothing. It's a calm ass night. "What about you, 'Nata-chan?" I saw his dad smile at our relationship, it probably reminded him of his and Kushina-san's.

I shrugged to him too, laying my hand on his thigh. "I was just gonna go home, we don't have school tomorrow and my dad already knows I'm safe with you and Hokage-sama." Unless, of course, he wanted to come over to my place. "You wanna come over to my house, Naruto-kun?" He hummed, thinking about it.

After a minute of deliberating in his head, he smiled. "Sure, we haven't hung out at your place so it'll be a good change of scenery, for once." Thank god, I love his house but my bones have been begging to rest in a bed I'm familiar with.

* * *

 _11:45 pm._

After Hokage-sama, or as he insists, just Minato-sama, took us back to the hospital to get our cars, we headed to my place. Once we got there, all it took was a simple, nice explanation to my father for him to agree with him staying there. Now, we sat in my room, just holding each other and contemplating the future.

"In the midst of all this bullshit and everything, I found my father, and I have you, so I have all I need right now." His smooth yet kind of gruff voice soothed it's ways into my ears. I could feel him smiling into my back, his warm breath tickling my neck. "Honestly, I can't be mad at the dude, he did what he thought was right, and in hindsight, it was the right thing."

To be honest, I agree. If he did try to get her back, and everything hit public while they were trying to get their respective careers off the ground, I don't think they would be able to recover. "When we first started talking, I didn't know how to feel about this sudden change, but now I know how I feel." At least, I think I did.

He breathed out of his nose slowly, blowing my hair a little bit as he had me wrapped up. "And how do you feel, love?" He didn't know this, but whenever he called me love, baby, princess/hime, chan or any pet name, my heart still jumps.

The way he's treated me had made me feel, well..."Loved, Naruto-kun. I know I've been loved by my father and when she was around, my mother, but I felt like an outcast, one that was destined to just work in the company her life and never find her love life hit a stride until she was thirty and worked all the time." I laughed at the prospect.

With a small laugh as well, he rubbed my leg softly. "I feel you there, 'Nata. Me and you, we make a good pair, ne?" I nodded, darkness swirling around me as sleep found me, him following suit shortly after.

But, naturally, everything was about to change...

* * *

 **UNKNOWN-POV**

* * *

 _November 21st, 2:00 am._

"What do you mean we're gonna have to postpone the attack? I'm getting impatient with this shit, Nato!" A dark haired man slammed his hands on a wooden table, holding paperwork.

"Sir! It's not strategic to attack them right now! If you would just look at the maps and recent reports, security is tighter than ever!" A short, red headed boy shouted back, thrusting a finger at the folders on the table.

The dark haired man looked over the papers quickly, before slamming them down. "Fuck. If these reports are indicative of anything, your little outing in Tanzaku town drew attention towards us. We can't afford to fail!"

Nato, as we know him, took at a seat at the table. "I know sir, and I'm sorry, but if we wait until this date here;" he pointed at a date circled in red on the calendar "we won't have nearly as much attention on us, security will lessen and we'll be in the clear to waltz in."

With a sigh, the dark haired man relented on Nato, taking a seat as well. "I'm sorry, we're in this together. If I must wait to exact my revenge then I will. It only means that when I do finally get it, it will only be sweeter." He grinned broadly, as Nato did as well.

"Yes, yes my friend and comrade, but we mustn't let any of the nations catch wind of our plans, they'll shut us down quickly and with ease." With a nod of agreement, they both turned their heads to the bound and gagged body of a woman, in her mid twenties easily. "So, Kinjo, what should we do with our friend?"

"Well, my friend, lets send a message."

"And what's that, 'Jo?"

"The Shadow Of Hate isn't fucking around." Bang! And like that, it all started with a simple bullet.

"These next weeks are about to be the worst. I'll dump the body in a public place with a simple message."

"Thank you, Nato, you'll be greatly rewarded in the end."

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh boy, I know it's been a semi-slow burn story, but things are really about to pick up. I don't know how well I did with introducing Minato into Naruto's life, so if you have any feedback hit me with it, negative or positive! With that being said, I'm hoping this picks up well, but there may be a bit of a delay on the next chapter due to my vacation, so stick tight please! As usual, read and review and I appreciate any and every follow/favorite. Ja ne!


	12. Better Place

**A/N:** Well I'm back! I had a good vacation/hiatus from this and now I feel recharged mentally and I'm ready to get back at it! Just as a fair warning, there's a reasonable amount of sexual encounters in this chapter, for the sake of the holiday season, but I promise I'll tune it down until the inevitable fluffy Christmas lover interactions. Till then, enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or the lyrics to Better Place, they belong to Sevendust!

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 25th, 2:00 am._

Ah, holiday season. The air is cold, all the more perfect weather for me and Hinata to snuggle up together by the fireplace, sip some hot cocoa and relax. Her father and sister were supposed to be back in town from a visit to an 'unspecified town' this morning, choosing to come eat with us.

Naturally, Hinata didn't want to be alone at her house so I slid on in there. It's been a rough week, honestly. My mom has been handling this as best as she could, but today is the day that everyone in our little fucked up family is gonna come over, and she's gonna have to face the music. It hurts seeing her break down over it.

Dad has been stopping by every day since the incident and talking with us, trying to get caught up with our lives and just associate with the broken family that is our family. In hindsight, I couldn't be happier with what I have right now.

"So, where do you think Hanabi and your dad went?" I asked Hinata. It was a little strange that they just up and left randomly to go to a town that none of us know what it is. I was guessing it was something to do with a Christmas present, but that's a guess.

She just shrugged, taking a sip of her hot chocolate and sighing. "I don't know, it's not like my dad to do this, just randomly leaving and being real secretive about it." True, Mr. Hiashi didn't seem like that kind of dude.

I pulled her closer to me, hugging her to my body. "Well, I'm sure whatever it is, he has a good reason for not telling you." I think, and I hope. She let out a happy sigh, smiling and laying her head down onto my chest. Brushing her hair out of her face, I laid a kiss onto her forehead. It dawned on me, what time it was. "Happy thanksgiving, love." I said, smiling down on her.

Looking up at me, she smiled as well. "Happy thanksgiving to you too, my handsome prince." We leaned in for a kiss, our lips enveloping each others in a warm, deep and passionate show of affection.

"Hmm, if you keep kissing me like that, you might just make my list of things to be thankful for a lot bigger." I muttered out after we broke the kiss. She kissed me again, trailing her hand down to my thighs, rubbing them.

The heat began to raise between my legs as she threw her legs over me, straddling my body. "I could give you _so_ many more things to be thankful for, Naruto-kun." What a tease. We kissed again, as my erection grew and grew.

Suddenly, she started snaking her body down mine, till her head was right in my crotch area. I knew better than to ask her if she wanted this, she knows what she wants now. With a quick movement, she unbuttoned my jeans, sliding them down my legs until they hit my feet, where I finished the job, kicking them off. She started rubbing my now full erection through my underwear, making me groan a little.

Not too long after, she ran a finger under the band on my boxers, slowly pulling the waistband back until my rock hard cock sprung forward, almost hitting her in the face. She laughed a bit while sliding my boxers off, tossing them to the side with my jeans.

She got to work, twirling her tongue around the head of my cock, moistening it. Putting just the tip in, she slowly started sucking on it. Slowly but sensually. I moaned out, enjoying the attention she was giving the sensitive area. Then she started putting more and more of it in her mouth, sliding it into her mouth until all eight inches were in.

Stopping at the base she gagged a bit, but held it there for about five seconds before evacuating it from her mouth, gasping for breath. But she only paused for a second, before continuing the work she was doing. She continued this for a few minutes, before starting to slide her sweatpants off. I realized quickly she wasn't wearing panties, she planned this ahead.

I smiled at her, still moaning at her tongue work. "Y-you little minx, you planned on seducing me didn't you?" I asked, my question met with a momentary pause, a nod, and her continuing on. Before I knew it, she had stopped, crawling up my body until she was on top of me again, my cock lined up perfectly with her soaking wet pussy.

"And what if I did? Are you gonna deny your princess?" She asked me seductively, licking her lips and shaking her hip, rubbing her entrance against the tip of my cock causing it to twitch in anticipation.

Shaking my head, I groaned as she slid my member into her, going down all the way onto it before she started to bounce, moving her hips up and down, moaning louder with each thrust of me into her. So this was what they call cowgirl? I can't say I don't like it.

She took control of the situation, raising her hips up and slamming them down onto me faster, the sound of her ass clapping together filling the living room. She eventually reached the end of the line, crying out those fateful words 'I'm coming' as she stopped, her walls tightening around my cock as she released herself, her juices flowing from her pussy and onto my cock.

But we weren't anywhere near done, and it was my turn to take control. I pushed her onto her back, pinning her arms down and sucking on her neck, leaving a few hickeys as she sat there and moaned out for me to continue.

I worked her shirt off, exposing her braless chest. Circling my tongue around a nipple, I took one into my mouth, sucking on it hard and biting it. Reinserting myself into her, she moaned out as I picked up speed quickly, thrusting my cock in and out of her as we worked our way to an orgasm.

It came rather soon, as I remembered to pull out of her, shooting my hot seed onto her stomach and chest, while she squirted out her juices onto my thighs. Thank God I remembered that I forgot to put the condom on. "Here, lemme go get you a towel, Hina-hime. Sorry I forgot the condom." I felt bad for just randomly doing that.

Laughing, she just shook her head. "It's ok Naru-kun, I kind of took control there for a minute." She took her hand, scooping up my cum from her body and licking it off her fingers, giving me a wink. "Now, who said we're done, ne?"

God, I love this woman. Time to dive back in.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 20th, 1:30 am._

"Yeah lemme get, uh, a number four, extra pickles with a coke, and a number six with a sweet tea." Gotta love pregnant women making you harass the poor fast food workers the night before thanksgiving day. Her and her cheeseburgers with extra pickles. And what is it with pregnant women and their pickles? I swear, from what other parents have said, it's a thing.

I mean, not every girl does it, but it is a vast majority. It's been almost two months since I found out she was pregnant, and two months and a week since she actually got pregnant. Sometimes I wonder why I deal with her and her mood swings, and her random spells of hunger.

But it's in moments like this when I look over and see her sleeping form smiling at me. I know it has to be stressful, even with me here to help her through it all. I smiled, leaning over and kissing her forehead softly while I waited on the cashier to open the window.

Once he did, I handed the money over to him, as he just smiled at me. "Pregnant?" He asked me, as I hesitantly nodded my head. How did he know that much? "Makes sense, my wife used to make me come here all the time and get the same thing, extra pickles, and end up falling asleep when she was pregnant." Ah, well that make sense.

I chuckled softly, running a hand through her hair. "Yea, she's a handful, but definitely worth it." The more I thought about it, I would do this over and over again as long as I got to keep the girl. As I was about to drive forward, I stopped, looking at him. "If I may ask, how does it feel, in the end, when you get to hold your kid?" I don't know what came over me, but I had to ask someone.

The cashier just laughed a bit, leaning on the windowsill. "I'm twenty-five years old and my son was born three years ago, and in that three years nothing has topped the feeling of awe and love that I felt that day. It's like once it finally happens, everything that's happened during the pregnancy is instantly worth it, and you realize how you'd do it again."

He spoke with stars in his eyes, emotion about an event I would, in due time, feel myself personally. "Thank you sir, have a good night." I spoke strongly. The rest of my experience was quiet as the young lady working the front window handed me the food as I drove off.

Thankfully, I had the ten or so minute drive to absorb what I had just heard and mull it over. Which was when I realized a few things. One, the woman next to me in this car is the woman I love and am going to spend the rest of my life with.

Two, the child she is carrying isn't some mistake, nor is it just her child, this is my child as well. The same as I am my father and mothers child, so therefore he or she will receive the same treatment as I received from my parents. It's the least I can do, but I aim to do a lot better. Not that my parents did a bad job at all.

And three, these moments right here are the reason I haven't gone insane and given up on life. My heart felt instantly warm and happy when I saw her, even in her sleep, smile at me. Whether she's dreaming of me or not, I have no clue, but to make her smile like that, a genuine, warm smile, no matter what the situation is, is exactly what I aim to do.

She doesn't deserve to ever feel sad, or to feel unwanted. June Fourth was her due date, and the wedding was set for July the Fourth, a month directly after that. Honestly, her strength to continue through high school no matter the weird looks and judgement she gets impresses me massively.

I need to let her know exactly how I feel and why I feel all of this, and the least I can hope for is that she feels the same way. Shit, why am I even doubting her? I know she loves me just as much, if not more than I do her. I pulled in to my driveway slowly, careful to not wake her.

Her sleeping form didn't move, so I went and opened her door, scooping her into my arms and walking her into my house and up my stairs, into my room. I reached the bed quickly, gently laying her down and heading back down the stairs to retrieve the food.

Once I got back upstairs, she was sitting up against my headboard, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "*yawn* thank you, Shika-kun, you're the best prince I could ask for." She sleepily said as I handed her the bag with her food in it. We ate pretty silently, sharing a few words every so often, but I know she was still tired.

Which was confirmed when she just balled up her trash and shot it into the can easily, setting her drink on the nightstand and curling up in my bed. "Hey, Temari-hime, don't you wanna get a bit more comfy before you lay down?" She was still in her jeans, shoes and dressy shirt from earlier when we visited her family. All I got was a simple nod, knowing I was gonna have to help.

Standing, I helped her slide out of bed and carried her to the restroom. There she had her sleep clothes laid out since earlier, knowing this was gonna happen. I set her down softly, before helping her slide her shoes and jeans off, leaving her teal lacy panties untouched. Next was her baby blue top, which I unbuttoned and removed.

That left her in her underwear. I slipped a finger under her bra strap, undoing it and removing it, letting her breasts hang freely. I grabbed her shirt, which was just an old tee of mine that fit her good, and helped her dress into it, before doing the same with her fluffy, black pajama bottoms.

I picked her up again, setting her back down onto my bed. She covered herself up as I went and lit the candle on my dresser before turning the lights off, throwing my shoes off, quickly changing into a pair of basketball shorts and a tee shirt before crawling into bed, wrapping my arms around my fiancée.

We laid there quietly, neither of us sleeping. I knew she was awake, because her breathing was still a bit heavy and she kept coughing. "Temari, I just wanted to tell you how much I love you, no matter what's going on or whatever you may say to me when your mood swings. Through thick or thin, hell or high water, I love you, princess." I whispered into her ear, kissing the back of her head.

She didn't say anything for a few minutes, but I saw a single tear roll down her face. "I love you too, Shika. So much." Her voice quivered a bit as she spoke. "I can't thank you enough for being there for me like this." She turned her head, as we embraced each other and shared a warm, meaningful kiss.

We both fell asleep soon after, resting so that we can tackle whatever life may throw at us.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV**

* * *

 _November 20th, 3:00 am._

Tonight was already a kind of weird night. My mom left way earlier around three pm to hang out with Naruto's mom, and the dobe has been at Hinata's since her dad and sister left for a, what they called, unspecified town. Shikamaru met with Temari's family since she'll be over here in the afternoon for our lunch, heading back to Suna for her families dinner.

So that left just me and Sakura-chan alone for pretty much all day past dinner time. Not that I'm complaining, I love spending time with her, it's just the way my mom and Hinata's dad and sister just left is having me wonder.

Tomorrow we're supposed to be getting together at one at Naruto's for lunch. Me, my mom, Sakura, Naruto, his mom, the fourth, Shika and Temari. Ino and Asuka have their thing with Ino's parents, and Shika's parents might swing by but they'll be busy getting ready to go over to Suna with Shikamaru and Temari that night.

For now, though, it was just me and my pink haired lover, alone, in my house. Normally we'd be having sex non stop, but tonight we wanted to take a step back and enjoy the company of each other, which is not a bad idea in my opinion. We had a chance to chill, watch movies and just talk about how things have changed in the past few months.

Did that mean we weren't going to use this opportunity to have loud, raucous, no holds barred sex? Nah, it just means we weren't going to do only that. I had made a trip to the store to get some new play toys, so tonight was going to be fun.

Right now, it was time to get stoned. We were sitting outside on my back porch, rolling a blunt and getting ready to get sky high. "Ne, what do you reckon the others are up to, 'Suke?" Sakura asked me, licking the paper and folding it over perfectly.

Good question, though. I just shrugged, handing my lighter over to her. "Well, if I had to guess, Naruto and Hinata are capitalizing on an empty house, Shika and Temari are sleeping and Ino and Asuka are, er, I don't know them that well." Yea, but they were probably going downtown, if ya know what I mean.

She nodded in agreement with me. "Yea, knowing that baka Naruto they're doing something right now. Don't let her fool you, though, Hinata has gotten a lot more _forward_ with her requests. And knowing Temari she's either asleep or damn near there." We didn't even know how right we were.

The smell of marijuana burning filled my backyard as we passed it back and forth, getting high and swapping opinions on certain things, and talking about what we both are thankful for in our lives. Her with our friendships and the closing of a big chapter in her life, with her parents demises. And me with the same, and of course we both knew what the final thing was.

"Most importantly, besides my mom, I'm most thankful for you giving me a chance, Sakura-hime." I spoke to her smoothly, as she smiled at me. We leaned into each other, embracing in a kiss that would last for a minute.

Taking a deep breath in afterwards, she sighed and smiled at me. "I'm thankful for you and your mom taking me and, and for you being there for me and being accepting of my situation and conditions, 'Suke-love." We kissed once more, and after that, it was pretty much that greenlight that we were waiting for.

We couldn't wait anymore, as we deepened the kiss, our hands running all over each others bodies, grasping and groping whatever our hands landed on. I quickly scooped her up from her chair, trotting our way to my bedroom, never stopping the kisses from raining down onto her lips.

I threw her down onto the bed, stripping my shirt off and dropping my pants, my erection pressing against my boxers. She followed suit quickly after, going down to just her bra and panties. "Wait here, I'll grab the new stuff." I commanded, as she did as she was told, laying in the bed stationary.

Opening the door to my closet, I found what I was looking for, a duffel bag I stowed the stuff in. I drug it into the room, unzipping it and looking at the contents. "Now, stand and strip." Was my next command. And once more, she did as she was commanded, standing up and dropping her bra and panties, leaving her bare in my room, her pussy leaking juices that were running down her thighs.

Walking up to her, I started my work on her. First up was the leather wrist cuffs, with the matching ankle ones that I attached to her wrists and ankles. Next, nipple clamps, to which she winced a bit since they were a bit stronger strength than the old ones. I grabbed a ball gag, affixing it to her mouth. "Lay, on your back." I ordered her.

Once she had done what she was told, I attached some rope to the ankle and wrist cuffs, then attached said rope to my head and footboards, tying her into place. "Are you ready?" I asked, getting a nod of confirmation. I grabbed a leather riding crop, striking her in vital spots. Her nipples, clit, pussy and stomach were my main targets.

Her moans got louder and louder, at least, as loud as they could get through the gag. She was salivating through the gag, her pussy getting wetter and wetter. "You're not ready for daddy to pleasure you yet, you must first pleasure me." I untied her, forcing her to her knees on the ground. Next, I took the rope from her wrist cuffs, tying one to the headboard and the other to the footboard.

With her arms spread out, I undid the ball gag. "You know what daddy wants, don't you?" I asked her, dropping my boxers and letting my cock spring forward. With a nod, she opened her mouth, allowing me to slide myself into her mouth, thrusting in and out at my own pace.

I had forgotten she had gotten much better at this, moaning at the right times, her moans vibrating against my cock sending a wave of pleasure through my body. Grabbing her hair, I tightened my grip on it, thrusting faster and harder than before as she started to gag on my cock, which was assaulting her throat at a ramming speed and pace.

It wasn't long before I stuffed all of my cock into her mouth, shooting my cum down her throat as she gulped it down. "All clean?" I asked, as she opened her mouth, showing me that she swallowed it all. "Good girl, you're ready for daddy now." I picked her back up, laying her on the bed in the same position as before, on her back and tied down.

Now is when my fun began. I reached into the duffel bag, grabbing a battery powered hitachi wand, and making sure it worked. I turned it on low, rubbing it up and down the length of her pussy, making her moan and her face contort in pleasure. I turned it up, sliding two fingers into her at the same time. "Daddy...please..." I heard her beg, making my cock twitch.

"I can't wait anymore, baby girl, it's time for daddy to fuck his baby girl." I said, cutting her feet loose, kneeling in front of her before quickly ramming my hard, seven inch cock into her pussy, making her cry out in ecstasy. Wasting little time, I started pounding into her, reaching up and pinching her nipples with one hand, choking her with the other hand.

Leaning in, I kissed her roughly, absorbing her moans into my mouth as I fucked her harder than I had ever done before. Neither of us would last long, maybe five minutes at the most, before I pulled out my cock, fingering her to an orgasm as I rubbed myself to another orgasm, shooting my load all over the outside of her pussy.

She leaned her head back, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she let out her last moan. "That...was good, 'Suke-kun." She breathed out, as I just nodded in agreement. But we weren't done here, as I went and grabbed some toys, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

This was gonna be a long night.

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 20th, 2:45 am._

Twas another quiet, drug filled night in the Ino and Asuka chapter of life. Asuka was finally fully integrated into my house, sharing the same bed with me as we sat here and let the drugs fill our system, boosting us into another realm. A realm we seldom saw, but a realm we loved, nonetheless.

Between her parents never even trying to contact her and trying to keep in touch and having to quit selling and moving into a house she didn't know, I'd say she's taking it all in stride and she's taking it very well. The amount of strength she's showing makes me proud to call her my girlfriend and to call her my lover.

My parents have been accepting of this too. Even though I haven't fully come out and said that me and Asuka are a 'thing', I'm sure they know. The way they look at me and her when we're laying on the couch and holding each other is a look of acceptance, and judgement, but still acceptance. I know they're not big on the whole lesbian and gay thing, but I'm happy, and so are they.

But as we lay here, figuratively floating on a cloud, one of the biggest questions lingers in the air. "What are we gonna do when you go to college?" My fiery, red headed lover asked me, and it is indeed a good question. My mom and dad are adamant about me going, but what would Asuka do?

I pulled her warm, almost naked body closer to mine, hugging her tight and kissing the top of her head. "Honestly, I have no idea. You didn't even finish high school, so the chance of you going with me is almost non existent." As much as I would love that, I know that the chances of that happening are under five percent.

She sighed a bit, as a tear rolled down her face. "I just..." she trailed off, rubbing the tears out of her eyes "I just don't want these nights to end. These nights are what keep me alive and they keep me from going back to the old me, and I don't want that." Agreed, but I don't have a choice but to go, or move out on my own and we're not ready.

A sigh escaped my body too, as I thought over the options. The only option I liked was...wait..."I could just go to the community college here, it's only a half hour down the road, no?" I said, as a sensation of happiness filled my bones. Looks like this wasn't just a pipe dream, after all.

Flipping around, Asuka turned to face me, the still present sadness on her face. "You...you'd do that for me?" She asked, a flabbergasted look gracing her face now as I just nodded slowly, smiling at her. "Ino-chan..." was all she got out before her lips crashed down on mine, our near bare bodies pressing into each others as we shared a deep kiss. "T-thank you, so much..." she muttered out, burying her face into the crook of my neck.

Her tears dampened my neck as I ran my hand up and down her back, comforting the crying girl in my arms. It was a surreal moment for me, the girl who was tougher than nails, the girl who aligned with one of the deadliest gangs ever, is now my girlfriend, and is crying onto my skin, a show of weakness.

We stayed in that position for a few more minutes, before her tears seceded, and she looked back up at me, a soft smile on her face. I smiled back, pecking her on the lips gently yet quickly. We did the only thing we knew to do in these moments next, grabbed the bag of drugs and chopped up some more of the light brown goodness.

After we did the last lines for the night, we decided it would be the best idea to get ready for bed. I stood up and walked over to my door, locking it, before turning and going to the curtains, drawing them completely closed, shutting out any light from the outside. I lit the candle on my TV stand, before heading to my dresser.

I hit play on the iPod dock I had, shuffling my music playlist. My skin tingled when I felt Asuka's soft, cold hands run up my spine and to my bra strap, undoing it and letting it fall to the ground, my D cup breasts hanging freely. She sank to her knees next, removing my panties agonizingly slowly.

Turning around, I was graced with the sight of her completely nude body. "We don't have to do anything, Ino-hime" she whispered out quietly "I just wanna lay next to you and feel you body against mine, love." With a soft but long kiss, we headed to bed, throwing the covers over our bodies. I hugged her into me again, her form fitting mine perfectly as we cuddled, the music serenading us in the background.

 _Hold on, we try to live a dream, we lose the fight again. I take the promise I believe, and keep it close to the end._

"Asuka." I breathed out into her ear, gathering her attention to me. "I promise that no matter what we go through, I'll always be there for you. Because you mean the world to me, love, and I wouldn't give that up for anything. I love you." I ended on a strong note, kissing her cheek.

 _(Collide.) I'll start a war inside. (Now stop.) Drop and cover me, my sense of peace is burning. Shutting down, I'm falling down. (I can't believe it's happening to me.)_

Her breath hitched a bit when I muttered those three special words to her, and I could tell she had a lump in her throat, especially when it was her turn to speak to me. "Ino." She semi-mimicked me, pausing for a second. "I would be the happiest girl in the world if you did that, and I would love to make the same promise to you, love. I love you too." No matter how many times I hear her say it, my heart still skips a beat.

 _Can I give it all away, just to get back to that better place, that better place, today. And I give everything away, just to get back to that better place, that better place today._

Once more, we kissed, as she turned her body around to hug me, deepening the kiss. When our legs intertwined, my pussy started rubbing against her leg, and vice versa, as we both made a slight humping movement, moaning into each others mouths.

 _Holding on, I suffer like a fiend. And try to face the day. I gotta say I'm a little relieved, to see you stay till the end._

I gotta thank god for having a bedroom far away from my mom and dad, and having the music there too, cuz I didn't quite want them to hear their daughter moaning as her and her girlfriend tried to rub themselves to an orgasm. _That_ would be fun to explain.

 _(I try.) I took the war inside. (Then I.) And pushed it out of me. My sense of peace is burning, open now, I'm not falling out. (I can't believe it's happening to me.)_

Our moans and movements continued as we made out with each other, before soon enough, we locked lips in a deep, long and passionate kiss, as we reached our climax, our orgasms rocking our bodies for a moment.

 _Can I give it all away, just to get back to that better place, that better place today. And I give everything away, just to get back to that better place, that better place today._

We didn't even move from that position, our bodies so exhausted from the sex and drugs that we drifted off into sleep almost instantly after that release. Still, one thing remained on out minds.

"I love you, Ino-hime."

"I love you too, 'Suka-hime."

 _And now, it all remains the same, till I get back to that better place, today._

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV**

* * *

 _November 20th, 3:15 am._

I couldn't believe the way things were turning out since the day I went to the hospital. I thought for sure that hell on earth was coming for me, like the devil had arose from his throne on hell and came to make me pay for my sins against my family and friends, most importantly my own son and my former lover/fiancée.

Speaking of ole Minato-kun, he's trying so hard to recapture what we once had, and I don't have the guts to tell him I'm not feeling it one hundred percent. Earlier today he brought me flowers, some pretty yellow roses, just because he was thinking of me and wanted to bring me something.

That's when he told me he was planning on dropping in during our thanksgiving lunch. Once again, I didn't have the guts to tell him that I thought it would be a bit awkward for him to show up, then we'd have to explain to everyone the truth, and I don't think I can face them right now. Guess I'll have to suck it up and figure it out.

But I couldn't help but feel good that neither of them were mad at me, at least not outwardly. Right now, my best friend and occasional lesbian lover is asleep and I am, once again, sitting in the garage and getting higher than a kite on a sunny, windy day while listening to some of my old school jams. It helped calm my nerves and prepare me for what I was about to handle.

 _Holy diver, you've been down too long in the midnight sea, oh what's becoming of me?_

God I loved Dio, nothing better than sitting here, bobbing my head along to some good tunes and blazing. I'm convinced there's a lot of people in Konoha that are secretly stoners and are just waiting for the shit to become legal. Except the reasons I do it are more medical than others.

 _Ride the tiger, you can see his stripes but you know he's clean, oh don't you see what I see?_

The doctor even said if the shit was legal, it's be the best thing for me, but it's not. But I digress. I had a turkey in the oven, pies cooked, sides are gonna be cooked when Naruto and Hinata get here to help me at ten, if they're not getting stoned and having sex.

They think me and Hiashi are stupid, but we're not, we know exactly what they're doing. Hiashi leaving with Hanabi was random, but if my suspicions are right then there's a really good reason he's doing what he's doing. If my son is smart he'll have her clothed fully and in bed by six am when they're gonna be back. Make it five just to be sure, though, Hiashi is a scary man when the need arises.

Hinata and Naruto are perfect for each other, he'll break her out of her little shell and she'll break him of his more brute and manly habits and turn him into a loving, caring man just like his father. Ow, yeah, that hurt a bit. They remind me of, well, me and Minato just a little bit too much.

I fucked up. It sucks, yeah, but I know I fucked up, and I just don't know how imma fix it. "You know, you should really lock your doors at night, Kushina-hime, you never know who would wanna hurt you." I jumped at the voice of the intruder, dropping the blunt in the ashtray.

"Damn it, Minato, you know how I scare easily!" I yelled at the man behind me, no doubts about who it was that was talking to me. And surely enough the blonde haired man strutted over to the table I had set up and took a seat, his brightly shining smile damn near blinding me. "And put that thing away, it's three in the morning and I don't wanna be blinded."

He just laughed, smiling even wider. That smile of his should be classified as a weapon of war. "If you insist, princess." Ugh, please don't start, I'm not ready for the whole pet name thing. "So, what're you doing up this early, besides getting high, of course." Duh, genius, I'm just getting high and worrying about you.

But I just smiled, waving the blunt around. "What does it look like, Copernicus, I'm getting high and planning out the day. Your son should be here with his girlfriend to help me prepare at nine, but you know how kids can be." I think he understood at least that much.

And then, like he's been doing, he inserted himself into stuff without really asking or thinking. "Well, I'll come by then, it's the least I can do." I don't know why he's acting like it isn't even my fault, like he did everything wrong, but it's getting on my nerves, and I've had enough.

Cue random Kushina rant, here. "Look, Minato, I understand you're trying to fix things between me, you and Naruto, but sometimes you have to just lay off a bit!" I felt bad for yelling, but it needed to be done. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm having a hard time feeling the same way that you feel, I'm fucked in the head right now, so please just back off!" I took a deep breath, finishing my rant.

Yet he still sat there with his little grin, annoying me even more. He cut me off before I could go off again, though. "Kushina, do you know why I'm doing what I'm doing? With me, and you, and Naruto?" To torment me and cause me hell for leaving you?

All I could do was shake my head. "No, Minato, I have no idea, would you _please_ enlighten me." Okay, the sarcasm wasn't needed, but I used it, whatcha gonna do about it? Hate me? Leave me like I left you years ago?

What he said next, I wasn't prepared for. "Sure, it's simple. I know you still love me, I can see it in your eyes, and I refuse to let whatever is ailing you mentally to take you away from me, again." The conviction in his voice when he spoke was unbelievable. "So no matter what, I'm going to fight to gain back what we both lost, our love and our family."

I looked at his stern, stone cold serious face in shock and disbelief. I do still love him? I...I do...but...how can he still love me after all these years, I've got an overworked mom body and too much mental baggage, so..."How? How can you still love me after all I did?"

Once again, his answer rocked me to my core. "Because, Kushi-hime, no matter what you did, I'd be stupid to let such a beautiful woman like you slip through my grasp again." He stood up, walking over to me and looked me in the eye, before slowly planting a soft kiss on my lips. "And you still taste the same. See you at ten." He left after that, leaving me in shock.

His lips felt the same, after all these years. His words still hit me the same way they did when we first met. And his kiss still made me feel like I was floating in air, not a care in the world, no worries to drag me down from the cloud I was oh so comfortably perched in.

In this moment, and just this moment, everything became clearer and clearer. One, I need to get some sleep after turning the turkey onto low. And two, that he was right, not that I'm surprised. He has a penchant for being right in these situations.

Walking into the kitchen, I see he already turned the turkey on low. "Fucking bastard couldn't even leave me that." I cursed under my breath. Oh well, I walked upstairs and climbed into my bed next to my best friend, who just stirred slightly, before falling back asleep quickly.

As I drifted off into the land of sleep, those three special words drifted with me, swirling around my head. I had to say them, just so I know I can.

"Minato...I love you."

And with that, my eyes shut.

* * *

 _November 20th, 9:00 am._

"Do you think she's dead?"

"Baka, she's just asleep and tired, no doubt stressed."

"Aye, alright, got it, no reason for hostility."

"Well, if _someone_ didn't keep me up till almost six in the morning-"

"Hey now, it was your idea in the beginning, Hina."

"Oh...true."

Okay, I can't listen to them bicker anymore, especially not about their...sexual activities. "Okay, you guys can quit arguing, I'm up!" I semi-yelled at the couple standing over me in my bed. Their eyes shot over to me, before they both started laughing softly.

Naruto, my adorable little shit of a son, was the first one to speak. "We knew you were up, we were just seeing how long it would be until you said something." He continued laughing alongside the dark haired girl next to him. "Unsurprisingly, it wasn't that long."

Well of course not, genius, you were sitting there hinting at your night life, something I don't wanna hear about, _ever_. "Yeah, I figured it wouldn't take long, Ms. Kushina, but don't we have some stuff to prepare?" Honey, you're in my good graces, don't screw it up. Oh yea, we've gotta cook!

I shot up out of bed, running to my bathroom franticly. "Shit, I almost forgot what time it is! You two, go start cleaning off the back porch while I shower!" I commanded, as I continued on my way to the bathroom, almost forgetting my clothes. The two kids dispersed when I started grabbing my clothes, specifically my undergarments. Seriously, it's just underwear, guys.

It wasn't long before I was in the shower, quickly washing my hair and body, finishing in an astonishingly short twenty minutes, a feat unheard of for me, just ask Naruto. I started to get dressed, throwing on my black bra and panties. Next was my tight, dark wash blue jeans and a Simple Plan tee shirt, for now.

My family was never big on dressing up real fancy for thanksgiving. But at least Naruto was wearing nice jeans and a long sleeved button up red and black flannel shirt. Now Hinata, as usual, was a stunning beauty in her jeans and nice, black furry jacket. It was quite the bitter cold day.

Naturally I found that out when I came walking outside to the back porch, the cold air punching me in the face and instantly making my, er, nipples hard. Thankfully I realized this and ran back to my room, grabbing a jacket and throwing it on. Why were we cleaning the back porch? Well, it was supposed to warm up by one, so we could hang out outside and drink our coffee.

Being old comes with it's things. I ran back outside, seeing that they already pretty much had it done. "Wow, I wasn't expecting you guys to work this quick." I muttered under my breath while inspecting the work they had done.

They just smiled at me, waving to me. "Hey ma, feeling a little _nippily_ today?" Huh? But my nipples aren't even visible...oh you little shit. "I wasn't expecting you to look, ma." My son managed to laugh out. Today was not going to be my morning.

But then I remembered, they're here to help me, and by help I mean be my little slaves. "Oh, Naruto, we've just started the day." I said in a sickeningly sweet voice, wearing a evil grin to match as he gulped in fear. "Yep, we're just getting started."

Time to start the torture. Maybe I'll go easy on Hinata. _Maybe_...

* * *

 _12:30 pm._

And torture I did. We had everything set up in the kitchen, and the dining room was just finished being set as I looked over everything I had out. The turkey, stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, broccoli cheese and rice casserole, green bean casserole, deviled eggs and the cranberry sauce.

As for dessert it was kinda simple, pumpkin pie, apple pie, carrot cake, sugar cookies and a cheesecake. Did we have enough food? I'd say we had enough to feed an army and then send some home to their wives. But everything was set as the guests started rolling in, surprisingly first was Shikamaru with Temari.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Kushina, how're you doing?" The aforementioned pineapple haired boy asked me, removing his jacket and Temari's as he set them on the coat rack gently. I didn't think he had this in him, but it's a good thing.

I politely answered him, as they went and met up with Naruto. Sasuke, Sakura and Mikoto were next, the latter having left my house at eight to go take care of things at here house before coming back to mine. They got the same, generic greeting as the group before them. The only person we were missing was the man of the hour, little ole Minato Namikaze.

He walked in a few minutes after everyone else and, to my surprise, no one batted an eye. I'm assuming Naruto already told this little core group of his friends, but failed to tell me that he did that. I swear if I could put him over my knee I would beat that kids-"Hey Kushi-hime, how are you doing this afternoon?" What was I talking about again?

Admittedly, I forgot the second I laid eyes on the blonder haired Hokage in front of me. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks, a dark orange long sleeved dress shirt and his black dress shoes. It was pretty much like..."The first time we went and met my parents...you were dressed in this..." I managed to mutter out.

"Oi, you ok? You haven't gone full crazy on us yet, have you?" Once he asked the question, I snapped out of my ruse, apologizing and giving him the same, boring 'I'm doing good, thanks for asking' shtick.

Surprisingly, the dinner went smoothly, as everyone conversed with each other normally, even with Minato. I mean, he _is_ the fucking _Hokage_ , after all. It was two thirty when everyone had finished up eating and gathering whatever leftovers they requested before the all filed out, one by one, minus Naruto, Hinata and Minato. Of course, now that we were alone, it was time to wind down.

We moved out to the back porch, sipping on some coffee and just enjoying the decently cool weather. Naruto and his father were engaged in a conversation about tobacco of all things, while me and Hinata looked on. "Helluva thing, ain't it, Ms. Kushina?" The soft voice she had broke my thoughts.

I looked at her questioningly, before I understood what she meant. "It really is, here I am, having a hard time moving on and coming to terms with this and they're over there bonding like good friends that served in the army together for years." It was an interesting analogy, but spot on.

"You wanna know what I think?" Once again, I glanced over at her questioningly before nodding slowly, intrigued. "I think maybe, just maybe, a part of you just doesn't want to change, you were comfortable with just you and Naruto, despite all the stress, and now with him reemerging, you have more stress and something to get used to, whereas before you had already found your system of dealing with it."

Her words ringed through my head. Could this girl, not even eighteen, be right about me, a forty year old woman? I must have sat there staring off into space for a while, cuz by the time I realized she was right, both Naruto and Minato were inside making more coffee and Hinata was just staring forward, much like me.

Turning and looking at her, she noticed my gaze and faced me as well. "Hinata, thank you, I think you've cracked the code on my craziness." I said, with a little laugh on the side, which she answered by laughing a bit as well.

"Well, I wouldn't call it craziness, per se, just a bit of mental dispute." Mental dispute, with myself, got it. So how do I solve this internal, infernal mental dispute? Hmm, this might take a minute to think about. "How about a vacation? I hear the land of Tea is pretty nice this time of year, nowhere near as cold too."

A vacation sounds good. "Well, would you come with us too? It can be a good stepping stone for all of our relationships." I'm sure ole Hiashi wouldn't care, but it's have to be sometime around Christmas break, that's for sure.

She nodded, smiling at me softly. "I'm sure Naruto would love that, and I'd love to see the land of Tea, I've heard too many good things about it and the people there." This is true, it is known to have very hospitable, respectable people.

Just then, Naruto and Minato came rushing out of the house, calling us in to see what was on the TV. They had turned it on for the incoming football game, but it was cut, due to what had just happened. We took our seats, as the newscasters went on and on about what happened, as we stared in shock. Why today? Of all days, why would this happen today?

 _"An attack occurred today on the bridge over the great river Jin causing the deaths of thirty people with hundreds injured. There's no motive or attackers identified yet, and the local authorities are doing everything they can to find the person or people responsible for the attack on this thanksgiving day."_

Minato just stared at the TV, knowing that this meant he had to go, departing after a few quick goodbye hugs to each of us. "I didn't think this would happen, what does this even mean? I hope it's not another war." Naruto trailed off, sitting in a thinking position.

I honestly don't know, Naruto, but I hope it isn't another war either.

Only time will tell.

* * *

 **MINATO-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 25th, 4:00 pm._

I ran into my office quickly, as Shikaku and the head of the military followed in suit. Their words were jumbled as I tried to clear my thoughts. Calls for action, calls for non action filled the room before I slammed my hands down on the table.

"Oi! Shut up!" I yelled, rubbing my temples in annoyance. "I know we need to take action, but we're not gonna find the right answer sitting here yelling and jumbling ideas together, so sit down!" They just stared forward at me, before doing as I said. "Thank you, now, what are we looking at, Junto?"

The man, Junto, looked at me, clearing his throat. "Sir, two perpetrators were spotted driving two cars, one each on the south and northbound sides of the bridge, before parking them directly in the middle and bailing over the sides, making the twenty foot fall into the river below. Shortly after, the cars blew up, taking out the supports on the bridge, causing a partial collapse on the bridge."

"Damn!" I pounded a single hand on my desk/table again. "Do we have the Navy out on their boats searching the river for these bastards?" I received a nod from Junto, sighing in relief for that. "What do you think, Shikaku?"

He looked at me, forming his opinion before speaking. "In my opinion, mobilizing more than just the Navy will scare them into deeper hiding. I suggest calling in the Konoha special forces, they would know how to take care of this situation in a quicker and more efficient manner."

K5K? "You're referring to the K5K of course?" Once more, I got a nod. "Do you second this movement, Junto?" He nodded as well, as I sighed deeply. "Mobilize them, now, get this situation cleared up, now! Find the terrorist bastards and clean this situation up!"

With nods and a chorus of two 'yes sirs', they moved out, leaving me in my thoughts. Why couldn't I just have a nice, peaceful thanksgiving with my family? Of course, something had to go and happen.

I can't be selfish, though, thirty people and surely a few more to follow have lost their lives in this cowardly attack. I need to prepare my speech, these people need to hear me talk and address the situation. But what am I going to say to thousands of people who are worried sick?

Such is the job of Hokage.

* * *

 _5:00 pm._

I walked into the press conference room, a few flash cards stowed in my shirt pocket. All eyes were on me when I stepped onto that podium, clearing my voice and motioning for the hundred or so people in attendance to quiet down.

"Citizens of Konoha." I started sternly, drawing the attention to me fully. "Today, at approximately three thirty-five in the afternoon, two accomplices took part in a terroristic attack on the bridge crossing the river Jin. From what I've been informed, we do not know yet what their motive was, or if anyone else was involved in it, but we are doing everything we can to take care of the situation and apprehend the perpetrators."

Questions flooded the room, but one stuck out to me. "What do we do now? Well, sir, what we can do is stay sharp and vigilant, for answers will soon be doled out, alongside punishment against those who have attacked this great nation. I will keep everyone updated when we find out more information. Thank you."

I rushed out of the room, flocked by security. I hope we find answers soon, at least.

* * *

 **KINJO-POV**

* * *

 _November 25th, 10:00 pm._

"Fucking hell, Nato! I told you it wasn't a good idea to do this! We should've just waited like you originally said!" I yelled at the cowering man before me. It was solid plan, yes, but we weren't counting on the damn K5K getting involved.

They tracked us down and forced us into hiding in a cave in a mountain of the side of the river, about two miles down. It was supposed to be just another message to the Konoha government, but it ended terribly. Someone saw us bail, and now, well, it looks like we're fucked.

It's just me, him, and our handguns versus a group of twenty or so specially trained individuals armed to the teeth and trained to kill people just like us. "Kinjo, I'm sorry, this wasn't supposed to go like this! I was sure of my planning!"

I turned to the young man to my left, backhanding him and knocking him to the ground. "Fool! When dealing with one of the biggest superpowers, you have to more than sure, you have to be _damn_ sure! Now it looks as if we've reached the end of the line, all our hard work and planning, ruined because _you_ had to assure me this plan was with out a doubt _foolproof!_ "

And I wasn't wrong, knowing the K5K, they'd be at the mouth of this cave in fifteen minutes, ready to capture and/or kill us. "I'm sorry, sir, but what are we gonna do now? We surely can't let them capture us!" Good point.

Grabbing my little nine mill. that was holstered to my side, I tapped my head with it. "We can always send one last message, no?" Nato looked at me, questioningly at first, before he got what I was trying to say.

So we got to planning, setting up our positions and preparing for our last hoorah. It happened right on time, as fifteen minutes passed and the group of soldiers flooded the cave. I caught sight of one of them, aiming my pistol and firing, hitting him in the shoulder as he fell.

I cursed myself for missing his head, knowing his armor prevented me from doing any damage. Bullets started flying our way as we ducked and ran, hitting the same dead end of the cave we were stuck at in the first place. With a gaze over to Nato, he looked at me. "Farewell, friend, it was a good try. I'll see you in the afterlife." He said

With a quick nod to him, we shook hands and shared a hug. The soldiers saw us, and raised their weapons, ordering us to drop our weapons. Instead, we raised them to our heads, turning and smiling at the armed men in front of us. "Remember this day, Konoha! The Shadow will never die!" I yelled, hearing Nato squeeze his trigger, blasting a bullet into his skull and killing him.

Smiling, I followed suit, pulling the trigger and allowing death to take me.

And as such, a shadow has been killed.

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _November 25th, 11:00 pm._

We gathered at Naruto's house to await any news of what's been happening. Shikamaru and Temari were with us as well, postponing driving to Suna since they didn't know what was going on either, and the bridge that was attacked was the bridge they usually took to get to the sandy desert village.

Fifteen minutes ago, we received the news that the two attackers were taken down, and the Hokage was on his way back over here to spend the rest of what time he has with Naruto and Ms. Kushina.

It was everyone's cue to head home, including me and Asuka. I'm sure my mom and dad are worried sick about us, but it's not like we had anything better to do just sitting at the house with my mom and dad. Of course, it's their job to be worried about us.

The drive was a quiet one, as we tried to make small talk, but failing. I don't know why, but there was a sense of gloom over us two. Ever since the attack, it's like we knew something was wrong, we just couldn't quite put our fingers on it.

Once we reached our house, I parked the car in the driveway, throwing it into park and just sitting there, the car still on. Eventually I turned the car off, heading inside with my red headed lover. We tried our best to dodge the questions of my parents, assuring them we were okay and we didn't mean to take off like that. We truly didn't, but I couldn't stand to just sit there.

Me and her almost literally dove into bed, of course after locking the door and getting undressed. An hour or so passed, before our near slumber was interrupted, a phone call coming in from a number unfamiliar to us.

The caller? Konoha hospital. The reason?

"I-Ino..." Asuka stuttered out, a tear welling up in her eye.

"Yea, hun?" I asked, wiping the tear from her eye and smiling.

"My parents are dead." The monotonous voice she said it in, so cold and harsh, almost broke me apart. "They were on the bridge when it blew."

Shit. Can we ever get a break?

I guess not.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is the last chapter before the vacation, so there will be another catch up chapter next week including the vacation with Naruto, Hinata, Kushina and Minato. So stay tuned for the introduction of the Land of Tea (if you couldn't tell, it's gonna be a Naruto version of Texas). Let me know what you thought of this chapter in the reviews, and favorite/follow. Ja ne!


	13. Six Feet

**A/N:** Yep, there's gonna be a lot of Texas slang in this chapter, some new terms in this Naruto universe introduced, and an explanation of the land situation. Now, I plan on making a map and doing it up explaining the territory claims, highways and other roads of the like that are in this universe, so you can get a grip on where and what the hell I'm talking about. But, bear with me, and enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to Creed, Metallica and All Time Low!

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _December 16th, 1:00 am._

Today was the day, we were leaving here in a few minutes. Normally we'd go to the half day of school today, but even Hinata's father agreed it was best to just skip it, so we can leave in a timely manner.

The last three weeks have been fairly interesting. After the revelation of the fate of Asuka's parents, things have bene tough on their end. They missed that next week of school, opting to use that time to recover and cope.

If my bets are right, I can see what's coming next, and I can't say I disagree with it. I can see Ino and Asuka doing something rash like getting 'married'. Married in quotation marks of course, it's still not legal in Konoha for lesbian or gay couples to get married. To each his or her own, in my opinion, but I'm no lawmaker.

Right now, my focus was on the dark lavender haired lover in the backseat of my moms SUV next to me, trying to snuggle up next to me as the car gathers heat from the engine to provide us with heat from the heater. "Naru, how long is the drive again?" She sleepily muttered out, pulling a thick blanket up and over both of our forms.

I laughed a bit at her antics, before running a hand through her hair. "About eight hours, love." My answer elicited a groan from her, making me laugh a bit more at her. "It's ok, Hina-hime, I heard drives through the woodlands and everything fly quickly, that and you can sleep, so there's that." She seemed content with that answer, just smiling up at me.

"If you say so, love, at least I have you next to me." I smiled back at her, leaning in and planting a kiss on her forehead. Her smile reached full potential as my mom and dad took their seats, my mom driving the first half and my dad taking the last half, knowing his way around the areas close to Tea a bit more than my mom.

My dad looked back at us, grinning. "We're all packed up and loaded up?" He asked, gaining a nod from me and the semi-awake woman next to me. "Well then, Kushina, away we must go!" How they ever got used to being up early in the mornings and keeping their energy, I don't know.

The drive started off slow, we stopped for gas, which took maybe ten minutes, and then we were on our way. Thirty minutes removed from the gates and the scenery had already changed, from some trees surrounding buildings to nothing but trees and woods, complimented by pastures filled with cattle and sheep, among other various types of animals.

Naturally, my mom chose the worst driving music ever, leaving me to wonder how she hasn't fallen asleep at the wheel. I mean, I like Creed, but damn woman their music can be boring sometimes.

 _Hold me now, I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking, maybe six feet ain't so far down._

Whatever you say, buddy.

As I figured, the first two hours went by slowly, as we readjusted to being surrounded by practically nothing. They really needed to make more highways for the areas down here, like the one going to Suna cut the travel time from five hours to two, if you drove the speed limit. But no one did once you entered Tani, the cops out there gave very few fucks, if any at all.

Where was the land of Tea? And more specifically, the village of Mokuzai, where we were staying? Well, when the southern regions of Tea country fell due to climate change and civil war in the mid eighteen hundreds, they overtook the unpopulated Wood country, reforming and populating it.

The main village, the village of Wood, paying homage to the former name of the land, is located just west of the end of the peninsula, on the bay, where they receive and send goods, food and aid. ( _ **A/N:**_ I swear, I have a map I'm making to show you where the highway is and where the Tea country is now, just be patient please!)

There was smaller villages in between, but none we were going to. This road, a two lane, two way road called a 'connector road' led us through the vast emptiness of our surroundings. Connector roads were just that, roads that connected you to places that aren't usually traveled to. Wonder why.

For the beauty of the surroundings, it was...bland. Kind of. I like it, but I know a lot of the dweebs in Konoha would be reaching for a pistol trying to blow their brains out right about now. Me, though, I have an open mind, a sense of adventure and a sleeping, drooling woman next to me. At least now I have something to tease her about when it comes to her sleep activities.

It seemed like, for the longest time, she was a perfect angel when she was asleep, only snoring ever so slightly and not really tossing and turning. Me, on the other hand, I was like 'a herd of bulls going through the worlds biggest china shop' when I slept, or so I'm told by, well, pretty much everyone that knows me.

Can these eight hours hurry up?

* * *

 _4:55 am._

Eventually, we decided a stop right before the border of Fire and Tea was necessary, 'cuz once we enter Tea there won't be anything for the next three hours, till we reach the cities lying just outside the village of Wood. Sure, there's a few in between, but let's not go there.

Tea, shall we say, has had a problem with thugs and gangsters, trying everything they can to keep it down, and they've done a good job as of now, eliminating almost all gang problems. But it doesn't change one thing.

Opium. Yep, Tea country is the biggest producer of the brown god opium. Or, if you prefer, heroin, smack, dope, skag, brown, china, china white, black tar, and the list goes on and on and on.

Ever since the economy crisis in 1905, people needed a way to make money, and it just so turned out that the ground they walked on was extremely fertile, leading to a spike in the production of coca plants for cocaine, marijuana, and the biggest one of all, heroin. Meth was a close competitor for the spot of 'biggest production' simply because the sparseness of the land.

And with multiple access points to the sea through rivers and backwoods bayous, smuggling the drugs out of the country hasn't really been that hard.

There's a population of twenty five million people that live in Tea, with five of that being in the main village of Wood, and another four million split between the three outlying cities. Now, what about the other sixteen million? Well boy, I'll tell you what.

Sixteen million is the leftovers, but ten of that is military men and women, being stationed throughout the country and in other posts across the world. There's about three million in Fire, another million in the outlying islands facing Kiri, another two million in Whirlpool country, an annex of Wood, and an enclave annex of Fire. Confusing?

Well, we're not done yet. They have a few naval bases on the two southern islands of Wood, as they try to claim them, fighting with Kiri politically over who has sovereignty over them, that makes another two million.

The remainder two million are reserves, living either in Fire or Tea, using the dual citizenship tags provided to all Tea/Whirlpool residents from the Fire Daimyo and Hokage.

And the other five million? They live sparsely throughout, there's a million citizens in Whirlpool country, and another three million live abroad, but the one million leftover is the issue. They are the drug manufacturers, smugglers, dealers, gang bangers, kidnappers, murderers, rapists, and everything else that isn't the best. Let's hope that they stay where they are this weekend.

Look at me, rambling on, I almost forgot we just pulled into a gas station straddling the border, which was unsurprisingly empty, save for a few plant workers and families traveling smart like us.

I looked over to the sleeping form of Hinata, giving her a gentle shake. "Hinata, baby, wake up. We're on the border so you might wanna use the restroom before we cross."

She slowly shook awake, her hair ruffled and eyes squinted at me. "Huh, Naru? Oh, yea, yea I-I'll go, thank you." Her sleepy voice managed to say, as she slid on her sandals and made her way in the store.

My mom went, too, as soon as my dad made it out, leaving just me and him at the car, fueling up a little bit more. "Naruto." He said, looking over at me and smiling. "If you want to smoke a cigarette, go ahead, I'll cover for you. I doubt your mom really cares anyways." I looked at him a bit shocked and surprised, but nonetheless nodded, reaching into my bag and grabbing the pack.

I'm eighteen anyways, why would she care? Then again, she's still my mom. I stepped to the back of car, away from the pump, and lit the cigarette, taking a drag off of it.

Not long after, Hinata was out of the restroom, walking up to me, her face still showing her exhaustion. Saying nothing, she reached her hand out, as I passed the cigarette to her. It was the universal 'lemme hit' sign for anything, including joints and cigars.

We finished as soon as my mom was done in the store, turns out she was making a ridiculously matriculate coffee that she always make at these stores. It was a Leaf-ee's, a huge chain of gas stations that populated the highways, a popular stop for truckers and the like.

After I ran in and took a leak, we were off, heading on the last half of our journey.

I wonder what Konoha is up to right now, more specifically our friends.

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 16th, 12:45 pm._

This weekend was going to be _boring_ with Naruto and Hinata gone and Shika and Temari spending time in Suna with Temari's brothers. Maybe me and Ino can hang out, I know Asuka is still a bit shaken up from her parents death and the subsequent funeral, but I'm sure we can figure something out.

I unlocked my phone, sending Ino a simple, straightforward text saying 'girls night tonight?' and set it back down into my bag, waiting on her response.

Sasuke rounded the corner of the school hallway, wrapping his arms around me and kissing the top of my head. "Hey love." He spoke in his normal, sweet tone. We've gotten better with our emotions by leaps and bounds since we got together.

Smiling, I turned around and gave him a peck on the lips. "Hey, Sasuke-kun. I might go hang out with Ino and Asuka tonight for a girls night if you don't mind." I know he won't, he knows he's only my daddy in the sheets, best friend in the streets.

As expected, he just shrugged at me. "Eh, I planned on meeting with Itachi for lunch right now anyways now that he's back in town, so if you want to then that's completely fine." Yeah, I forgot that his older brother would be back in town today for Christmas. He's studying abroad at a university on a sparsely inhabited island studying animals, so leaving and coming here is a task found harder than normal.

With a smile, we shared another kiss as we departed the school for the next few weeks, happy to have a break. A break from school and each other. We're not stupid, we know we can't spend every waking moment with each other.

Right before I reached my new car, a sedan, my phone buzzed with a text, Ino's response. 'Hell yeah, me and Asuka were just thinking we needed to go out and spend time with you. No Sasuke?'. I smiled, responding with 'nah, he's gotta meet Itachi anyways. You still at school?'

My answer came in the form of Ino's car pulling up next to me and mine. "Nah, I'm not at school dweeb." Ino laughed out, Asuka alongside her in the passenger seat, she was laughing along too.

It made me feel good, seeing her smile and laugh. In comparison to a couple of weeks ago, she was distraught and sadder than shit. Understandable, even if her parents weren't the best and pretty much forced her into selling drugs, they were still her parents.

Much like my situation..."I didn't know, you two might've left early for the loser convention." I jabbed back at them, laughing when they made a fake-shocked face.

"Shut up, forehead." Ugh, I hated that nickname so much when I was younger, now it's not so bad. "Wanna just take your car?" I nodded, as they parked hers next to mine.

Asuka took the back seat as Ino hopped in the front. "So, what's the plan girls?" Asuka's voice came from the back, as we sat there and thought about what we could possibly do right now. "I mean, we could think about it as we ate, I don't know about you but I could go for some food." It was a mutual feeling, school food did little to fill you up or even taste good.

 _I got your picture, I'm coming with you, dear Maria count me in. There's a story at the bottom of this bottle and I'm the pen._

Man I haven't heard this song in ages, and apparently neither have the two girls beside me, as we all started singing along to the song, happiness filling our bodies.

So many memories from this song, it was the soundtrack to my freshman year in two thousand and eight. Friends, sleep and sanity all gained and lost in a heartbeat, I'm not sure I've gained any of my sanity back since then.

It took us about ten minutes to get to our favorite lunch spot, Chino's, a 'good ole country cookin' kitchen', and it's pretty much a preview of what Naruto and Hinata are gonna be eating all weekend long. "Chino!" We yelled out in unison and waved and the man, easily in his mid thirties, long hair, beard and tattoos galore. He was your ideal, stereotypical biker dude with a love of food.

"Ino, Sakura! It's been a good minute, huh?" We nodded, as we introduced Asuka to him. She was shocked to find out that, despite his demeanor, he supports people from the LGBT community. "Hell, it ain't my place to judge anyone for who they wanna love. If you wanna love someone, you go and love the, mmkay?" He spoke in his drawl.

We all nodded in agreement, taking a seat at the bar of this diner. Our orders were the same as usual, I got the 'baked 'tater' with fajita chicken in it, along with the sides of butter and sour cream and whatnot. Ino got her brisket sandwich with barbecue sauce, onions and pickles and fries.

"What should I order?" Asuka looked at me and Ino, scanning over the menu. But something seemingly caught her eye, as she smiled and went 'aha!'. Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese with a side of pepper gravy.

Her face went surprised when we told her she pretty much bought dinner for the next two nights, and for only six bucks and some change, you can't beat it, really.

Naruto's gonna love it there, then. Huge portions, little price. It's funny, you don't realize how much you miss the man you consider a brother to you until you spend a weekend without him, then you see how...quiet it can be.

Ok, quiet's not so bad. But not too quiet, which is why me, Ino and Asuka are talking about, well, girly things. Makeup, clothes and our TV show we watch, BadLandGirls. I mean, what can go wrong with making a show about badass women fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic world? Nothing, that's what.

Chino's always had good music, mainly old eighties metal and on-the-road country. Couldn't argue with the choice of music, though, it made the environment feel more friendly and comfortable. It was pretty much a bar that's actually a restaurant but also a bar at night from ten pm to two am. Smart man, to be honest, he makes really good money supposedly.

 _New blood joins this earth, and quickly he's subdued. Through constant pained disgrace, a young boy learns their rules._

Today was just the day for throwback songs, huh? "I remember the first time I heard this song, it was when I was ten and my dad was reliving his old days of college." Ino said, laughing a bit at the thought of her dad being a rocker. "But ever since then, I've loved rock and roll and metal."

I nodded, taking a sip of the lemonade I was drinking. "Yeah, the first time I listened to metal was because of Naruto, though I called him a weirdo and punched his arm. It's funny how now it's all I listen to." Asuka, however, had a different story.

She cleared her throat and wiped her mouth. "I grew up my entire life pretty much listening to rap and hip hop, it's what thugs listened to, and to fit in on the block you had to be what other's wanted you to be. But whenever thing's went south with...my parents..." she paused for a second to clear her head "I started looking for music with more of a meaning. That's when I came across these bands, and they helped me cope with the situation then with my parents, and even now with their absence."

Both me and Ino gave her a sad smile, but she just blew it off. "I grieved, Ino-chan, and I've cried my heart out, I can't spend anymore time looking at them with sadness and disdain, I need to be able to talk like this and move on, or let it drag me down." Asuka spoke strongly, without shedding a single tear.

 _What I've felt, what I've known, never shine through in what I've shown. Never free, never me, so I dub thee unforgiven._

It was a less than somber lunch after Asuka's speech, as we are now reflecting on what was, is and what we hope will be.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 16th, 1:15 pm._

It was finally time. I haven't seen my brother in four years. He's currently taking an eight year course at Arial institute, studying animals and animal biology, including marine life and land mammals. I can't blame him, he's trying his best to better himself from when he was a teen, like me, stubborn and insubordinate.

Things have been better between him and my mom since he left, he sends her letters frequently, sometimes pictures and little trinkets from the island him and his class call home away from home.

No time to reminisce, though, he just walked through the door of the little tea shop. I stood, awaiting him to get to the table I was at. When he did, I stuck my hand out for a handshake that he bypassed, wrapping me in a hug, something we never shared, even when we were little.

"Sasuke, it's been a good while, how have you been little brother?" His tone was strong, yet gentle, with a hint of caring I rarely, if ever, heard from him.

Once I recovered from the shock of his hug, I sat down. "I'm good, big brother, how has college been treating you?" It was a standard question to ask anyone who's going through college or any type of higher education.

What I wasn't expecting was him to launch into story after story, giving vivid, long and detailed stories about what he was doing, what he's seen and what's next for him in his life. Stories about animals, new species they've discovered, the people on the island that I now know the name of, Hakken island, the island of discovery. And what a island it must be.

He must've noticed my weird glances and reactions to his attitude. "Sasuke, I know I'm a lot different than the last time you saw me, but I've changed, I've grown to learn that family runs thicker than blood, and it took cold nights on that island to make me realize how much I fucked up with you, and especially mom."

I was taken aback by his open admittance to being wrong. "I'm glad you have, brother, but it's still a little weird for me when my entire life you've been-"

"A douchebag." He interrupted me, cutting me off from speaking. "I was being a grade A douchebag, Sasuke. It only took me four years to understand and get to admit that to you and mom." True enough, Itachi, true enough. "I just hope you and her will forgive my attitude."

Another shock, Itachi Uchiha, asking for forgiveness, is Hell frozen over? "Itachi, me, you and mom are all the Uchiha has left since dad, well...he left. And I know we like to try and figure out what exactly happened, but you know how mom and him were, always vigilant and tight lipped." He had no reason to leave, or so we thought.

He gave me a sad smile, resting his hand on my shoulder. "Yes, they were quite the couple, which is why his leaving is shrouded in more and more mystery than ever."

Naturally that made a man more leery and curious of the extent of what happened that night, ten years ago, when he up and left, never to be found again by anyone, no matter how hard they searched and looked.

The only options were he was kidnapped, which is unlikely due to his stature and he carried a gun, or he ran away to be with a mistress, which again is highly unlikely when you factor in his hatred for cheaters. He even spanked Itachi once for even thinking about cheating on his little middle school girlfriend. It worked, because it got the point across. You cheat, you get even worse.

I sighed in sadness and frustration. "So, the question is, where do we go from here, 'Tachi?" It was the first time I used his nickname in over six years, he hated it.

But things must have changed, because he smiled at it. "Well, we can only move on and get to know each other again as the human beings we now are. Mom said you and Naruto formed a band with the Nara and Hyuuga heirs." He leaned in, waiting for my answer.

Smiling, I nodded. "Yea, but we've been quiet for a while, we just haven't had the time to do any recording or play any shows. We're looking to get on a show for new years eve, it's a local show at a pub in the north part of town." Or, as we know it, the rich part of town, where all the snobs lived.

"Well, I'm sure you guys will get it, you're certainly good enough for it." I looked at him weird. How could he have heard us? "Mom sent me one of your CD's, along with a few videos of the Halloween performance. That Hyuuga girl has some balls, why don't you go after her?" He elbowed my ribs and smiled.

Shaking my head, I began to fill him in on what's been going on. Everything from Sakura and her parents, to where she's staying, Shikamaru and Temari's pregnancy, Hinata and Naruto going out and the fourth turning out to be his real, biological father. The latter part I still had to murmur out in a low whisper, don't want everyone knowing just yet. Soon, though.

He stirred his coffee with his spoon before taking a sip out of it. "Well, things have been fairly interesting since I left then." I nodded in agreement. "But, I'm glad to hear that things are looking up for everyone right now. Except poor Shikamaru, spending time with the brother's of the girl you knocked up _can't_ be fun."

I laughed in agreement, my mind floating over to the lazy bastard.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 16th, 4:00 pm._

Much like Naruto and Hinata, I skipped school today, but I wasn't going on vacation. No, I was spending time with her and her brothers, the rambunctious, rascally devils that are notorious for pulling pranks on people who piss them off.

As I can imagine, they weren't too fond of me after finding out that not only had I slept with their sister, but I got her pregnant. Joy. So that made for what I must describe as a...less than enjoyable day.

It was a day full of shopping for Christmas presents for their parents and Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino and Asuka strangely enough. But she's a generous woman.

Unfortunately it was also full of these small, rib shot jokes about pregnancy, using protection, not using it, and murder. It took everything in my will power not to tell them to shut the fuck up, but that would only put me in less than favorable relations with them, and probably their parents, my soon to be in-laws. That's not something that I think I wanna do just yet. Wait till we're legally together.

Thankfully they were gone, and it was just me and her parents at a small café in the shopping district of the village. "So, daughter, how was your day with the two imbeciles of ours?" Karura, her mom, asked, sipping her water politely.

With a sigh, Temari finally addressed their idiocy. "What did you expect? It was nonstop jokes and ribs at me and Shikamaru. Surprisingly we both held our temper, mainly because it wasn't worth it."

Her father, Rasa, turned and looked at me. "While normally I'd be mad you didn't defend your pregnant fiancée, I can understand why you held your tongue and waited to speak to us first." Phew, I did the right thing, which seemed harder than I thought it would be. Obviously not, Rasa is an understanding man.

"Yes, dear. But, Mr. Nara, you have my permission next time to tell them to shut up or deal with me and my husband, and that's not something that they wanna do." Karura spoke, smiling at me sweetly, yet her tongue was dripping with venom.

I nodded to both of them, smiling back. "Thank you, I just didn't want to cross the line or anger you or your wife, Mr. Sabaku." He waved off my statement.

"It's just Rasa to you, you've exceeded my expectations and surprised me with how sincere you have been with me and my family, so I owe you at least the right to call me by my name." I was shocked. Being able to call a former Kage of a village by his first name, especially the father of your wife-to-be and carrier of child, is a big thing.

With a strong smile, I shook her fathers hand stiffly but respectfully. "Thank you, Rasa, but that means you must call me by my name, both you and Ms. Karura." She waved off the honorific as well.

"Of course, Shikamaru."

The rest of the lunch went by rather smoothly, as we chatted about how the pregnancy is going, the weather, some stuff about the wedding, but not too much thankfully. It was time to leave, though, as we bid a farewell to her parents, and headed out from the restaurant, heading off to our next destination, the movie theatre. Like every chick, she had to watch the new sappy love movie.

Normally I'd be sitting through it, suffering every minute, but the presence of Temari made it bearable and enjoyable. That and the popcorn was good.

The movie, A Love Lost, was about a girl who was best friends with this guy, and wanted to take things further, but backed off when she saw him kissing another girl. She was sad, naturally, and moved on in an agonizingly slow and boring life where every little thing reminds her of him, and of course they reconnected and hooked up at the end.

It was your standard love movie with a tear jerking kiss in the rain at the end of the movie right as she was about to leave town and leave him behind. "Oh Shika, that was a good movie, wasn't it?" Temari turned to me and asked.

I smiled at her, surprising her with a deep kiss, sweeping her off her feet and spinning her around. "It was amazing, love, then again we could've watched paint dry and it would've been good." She looked at me questioningly. "Because I'm with you, hime." I laughed as she realized what I meant.

Was I going soft? Damn it, yep, I'm going soft. I'm gonna need to, I don't know, beat someone up or threaten someone with death to get my image back up. "Mr. Nara, don't be going soft on me now, I might have t start wearing the pants in this relationship." She laughed at me, as I put on the best fake angry face I could.

"Well, Ms. Sabaku, I might just have to do something dastardly to get my manly image back up." I said in the toughest voice I could muster up, which wasn't tough at all, making her laugh even more.

The night wasn't over yet, we still had to go to Konoha, where she was staying. I hated driving on that highway, but it's the only way to get there quickly, and it was almost seven, so we couldn't waste anymore time.

And away we go.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 16th, 10:45 am._

I was slowly jarred awake by Naruto, his gentle voice soothing me awake. "Hey, Hina, we're at the hotel." He was gently shaking me, as I felt refreshed from the sleep I got, stretching out and letting out a yawn. He laughed a little at me. "Well good morning, beautiful." His lips met mine, and if I wasn't awake then, I was now.

A jolt of electricity shot through me at his touch, making me long for more, but I was disappointed when I realized that we couldn't until later, when we were alone.

With regret, we broke the kiss, exiting the car and grabbing a bellhop's cart, loading our luggage onto it as Naruto's mom and dad went and checked into the hotel. Afterward they came out, looking kind of annoyed but happy. "Well, looks like we'll be getting separate rooms, a storm came through and wiped out the records so they accidentally gave our suite to someone else." Minato said, obviously a little flustered.

We gave them a 'oh' face, kinda sad at having to be split up. "But that just means we get alone time as couples, so that works." Kushina said, shocking me and Naruto as she looked at us, smiling.

"Wait, you're gonna give us our own room?" Naruto asked them, as they smiled and nodded. "I'm surprised you trust us, but I can't say I'm mad." He laughed, pushing the cart up to the door. "Thanks ma, pa." He said.

Me and Naruto, sharing a room, all alone, in a hotel, and a _fancy hotel_ at that! Pinch me, I must be dreaming. It was as if he could read minds, because Naruto sneakily pinched my ass, making me squeak in surprise.

He looked at me with a devilish grin, making a 'quiet' motion with his hand. It took us a few minutes, but we reached our rooms on the sixth floor, the top floor, of the hotel we were staying in. We had room number 305, and his parents had 313, so we weren't even gonna be next to each other.

Our door swung open as soon as I muttered out a word. "Perfect." And it described the room, well, _perfectly_. It was a single queen sized bed suite, jacuzzi tub, mini fridge, TV, personal AC unit, microwave, the works pretty much. And a complimentary bottle of wine. "But we're not even nineteen." I said.

"Well, that's because the drinking age in Wood country is sixteen for wine and beer, eighteen for spirits, dear." A voice, Ms. Kushina's, came from behind me. "But that doesn't mean we'll be just drinking, ok?"

Both me and Naruto turned and faced them, nodding sternly. "Of course not, ma, I don't think we'll even drink unless it's in our hotel room, to be honest." I agree, I want to experience this trip sober. Well, for the most part. Doesn't mean we won't drink a little in the room.

They came fully into the room and sat down in a chair each as we sat on the bed. "So, there are basically no rules, just don't do anything stupid, and keep in touch with us, got that Mr. I-don't-like-to-text-my-mom?" Kushina looked at Naruto, who just blushed and nodded.

I cleared my throat, preparing to speak. "Wait, so we're not gonna be with you guys the entire trip?" I asked. I thought we would be, since we're still young.

Minato shook his head. "He didn't explain this to you?" I shook my head, as they glanced at Naruto. "Well, the point of this trip is for us to get away and spend some time as couples, and we'll still spend some time together as a group, but the things me and Kushina want to do won't really match up with what young people will want to do." Ah, I got it. They'll wanna do older people things.

Kushina nodded. "Yeah, we want to go see opera stuff and spend time looking at things that we never got to in our youth, things that aren't really spectacular unless you've lived here and understand the land and the history."

With a nod, Minato left us a card that had money on it with the note 'spend what you want, just don't go buying ridiculously expensive things', a business card for a car rental place, and list of things we might be interested in.

"Well, this definitely escalated quickly." Naruto said, laughing a bit. "So, first things first is we rent a car, huh?" He asked me, but I was zoned out.

I was still in a bit if shock at what they're doing for us. "Yeah, we should. Just don't go getting anything fast that you'll wanna race up and down the roads." I said, knowing him a bit more well than he thought.

He smiled at me. "Of course not, love."

* * *

 _1:45 pm._

Lunch was good, but it'll take another meal to get used to the 'down home' cooking that they have her. It's mainly barbecue, fried or seafood. I love all three, so it's not so bad, but it's a lot different cuisine than we have in Konoha.

One thing that shocked me is how _nice_ people are down here. Everyone we've met is nice, respectful and courteous, even knowing that we're not from here. They really do use that 'y'all' word a lot. I even caught Naruto using it a few times. It's fucking contagious.

"Y'all have a gorgeous day!" The diner hostess yelled at us, as we gave a courteous smile and a wave back at her.

We got back in the car he chose, which wasn't a fast car thankfully, but it was a stylish Mercedes-Benz. "Man these people are nice, huh Hina-hime?" I smiled and nodded to him. Admittedly I confused their niceties for flirting and almost got mad until I realized that _everyone_ is like that. Gas station clerks, homeless people, businessmen, they're all nicer than all hell.

Next was shopping, which isn't my area of expertise or his. "I know it feels weird actually going and buying stuff for ourselves like clothes and stuff, but this can be that one time, it's a vacation, babe, let's do some stuff we wouldn't normally do, right?" I asked him, to which he nodded.

We headed off towards the shopping area we chose to go to first. "Yea you're right, it's just I've never lived like I had money, so it's hard for me to start now, you know?" I do, even though me, my dad and my sister are more than well off, the only flashy thing I have is my Jeep, and I love my Jeep, so fuck off.

It was then when I got an idea, flashing a devious grin for a split second. "Oh, Naruto-kun." I said in a sweet tone, too sweet if I'm honest. He looked at me, noticing the look on my face and gulped. "Maybe I can, well, _model_ some special... _clothes_ for you. Would you like that?" I'm evil sometimes, so meh.

And in that moment, this was the most excited I had ever seen him get for shopping.

* * *

 _2:30 pm._

After almost getting lost a couple of times, we reached the shopping strip, looking at the stores and planning our course. It was a mutual agreement that we'd save Cindy's, the _special_ store, for last.

First was the basic, simple stores that sold regular clothes. We modeled clothes for each other, from jeans to shirts, dresses (which was just me, weirdo's), and whatnot, deciding on getting a few pairs of pants each, he got some dressy pants and shirts, polo's, button ups, and just casual shirts.

I, myself, got some leggings, booty shorts, blouses, and some flats, I think they were called Toms.

It was a good haul, though, we spent three hours doing that. But now, it's time for the main event. I took his hand in mine, interlocking our fingers as we stepped into the sex shop. Let's be honest, it's a sex shop, no fancy name will ever change that. "What do you think of this?" I showed him a lingerie pair, to which his response was a fast nod and a blush.

Man, this is gonna be fun.

Stepping into the dressing room, I started trying on pair after pair, seeing the outline of his member pressing harder and harder against the seams of his jeans. I'm not the teasing kind, normally, but today it was just so gosh darn fun. Damn it, I've started talking like them.

Once we were done there, I decided to keep a couple of pairs, which is when he sent me out of the store, saying he wanted to get me a 'surprise'. I like surprises, but he can be the devious, mental kind sometimes.

Stowing the bags in the trunk of the car, we headed back down the fast-way towards the area of town we needed to be in, trying to find a good place to eat dinner. "So, what did you think of my modeling skills?" I asked Naruto, a grin on my face.

He just looked at me and glared a bit. "You tease, you just wait till later, 'Nata-chan." I have a feeling this is either going to go really good for me, or really good for him. Or both, there's that option. The drive was quite, as the sun started setting. But we noticed a pair of guys on the side of the road, trying to change a tire. Looks like they didn't have a lug nut wrench.

"They obviously need help, do you wanna stop and help, love?" He nodded, agreeing with me, pulling off on the side of the fast-way, rumbling to a stop.

We both hopped out of the car, walking up to the two guys. "Hey fellers, y'all wouldn't happen to have a lug nut wrench, would ya?" One of the guys, a six foot tall, two hundred pound bearded man asked, spitting on the ground next to him.

Naruto looked at him, nodding and fetching the wrench from the trunk of the rental. "Luckily it's the same size, or else you guy's might have been her for a minute. What's your names?" He asked them, as they paused for a second.

"I'm Jessup, this is Bishop, my brother in all but blood." The first guy, now identified as Jessup, spoke, before spitting again. That's when I realized his spit was black, staring weirdly at it.

The man next to him laughed a bit. "Don't be surprised if ya see that often around here, it's called dip, a form of tobacco. You just pinch some of it, putcha some in yer lip, and spit, and you get the nicotine through that. A lot of mechanics do it since you need free hands to work on cars." Dip? Obviously not like cheese dip.

Bishop was a five foot, ten inch man, a bit more slender than his friend, and was sporting a goatee. Each man was wearing jeans, cowboy boots and a long sleeved work shirt. "So you two work together?" I asked, to which Bishop nodded, smiling at me as Jessup worked on the tire.

"Yup, we was on our way home when the durn sonuva bitch ran flat on us." That damn accent, though, it's too much for me. "Y'all aren't from around these here parts are ya?" We both shook our heads, informing him of our Konoha home. "Well, welcome to the village of Wood, in the land of Tea."

It took Jessup just a minute to change the tire, before handing the wrench back to us. "Well, thanks for the help y'all. Is there at way we can repay ya?" Bishop asked, to which we shook our heads.

"Nah, it's no problem, didn't cost me anything to stop and help." Naruto said, before shaking their hands, not worried about the grease on them.

They both smiled, before Jessup spoke again. "Well, we'll be at Charlie's Pub later around nine if y'all would wanna join us for a beer." Drinking beer with a couple of locals doesn't sound like a bad idea, honestly.

Naruto nodded, smiling back at them. "I think we'd enjoy that a lot, we'll be there for sure." We shared goodbyes, thanks and welcomes again one more time before we headed off for dinner.

Today isn't such a bad day. I didn't even realize that I'm not cold for once. In Konoha it would be in the twenties, but it's in the fifties here.

I could get used to this.

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 16th, 6:45 pm._

"So, what do you think the chitlin's are up to?" I laughed at the use of the southern slang word for children, and his cute little accent he tried his hardest to fake to perfection.

Today was a good day. No, I take that back, it's been a _great_ day. Getting away from the desk and city and getting out here, away from all the stress and bullshit. Did I miss it? Hell nah. But I know we'll have to go back eventually.

As for the kids, well, they're probably besides themselves not knowing what to do. I know Naruto and Hinata aren't accustomed to spending money, but this is one of the only times you'll hear me or him saying that we hope they do. They need this as much as we do, since they've been on the sidelines this entire time supporting me and helping me and each other. Like a family should.

I was about to answer Minato when my phone buzzed. 'Hey mom, we stopped and helped these guys change a tire and they invited us to go drink a beer with them at a pub as a thank you if you don't mind. We'll drop the rental off at the hotel and call a taxi.' Wow, the first time he's texted me this much since...ever.

Looking over to Minato I showed him the text. "I don't know, but I trust them, at least they thought to think about taking a taxi. What do you think?" I asked him, as he mulled it over.

After a minute of thinking, he finally responded. "Eh, you're right, they're obviously taking this seriously and asked us when they knew they could just go do it if they wanted to, so yeah, they can go." Nodding, I shot him a text, giving him a taste of his own medicine. 'K' was all the text read.

Laughing a bit, I showed my companion the text, making him laugh as well. "He does that shit to me all the time, but turnabout is fair play, amirite?" He nodded at me, as we got ready to order the food from the restaurant we were at.

So far the vacation was going good, me and Minato have got a lot of talking done, and a lot of reminiscing on what the past was like here. We visited Mrs. Bells candy shop, which was still in the same spot it was twenty years ago, and the boutique where I got my prom dress was still standing and doing business like it hadn't aged at all in these past twenty or so years.

But this all felt rather _natural_ to me, which made things a lot easier to handle. It felt as if nothing had changed, and we were still the same kids going through the stress of college, dealing with boy/girl problems and trying to meet our parents expectations.

Speaking of parents...tomorrow was the day when we were supposed to go visit his parents graves. It was something he hadn't done in over fifteen years, but it needed to be done, like mine.

I don't know what we're expecting to get out of visiting their resting places, maybe a sense of closure and peace of mind, but never the acceptance we longed for all those years ago, when we were fresh to this world.

Dinner went well, as I thought it would, as we headed out to the old ice cream parlor that was, once again, somehow still standing.

Hopefully my sons night is going a lot more eventful than mine.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV**

* * *

 _December 16th, 9:00 pm._

The pub, as Jessup called it back on the fast-way, was really just a bar that served food. But, it wasn't a bad place, and it felt good to be able to walk into a bar, sit down and order a ice cold brewski.

We were instantly greeted by the two formerly stranded men, who were a lot more cleaned up than before, wearing nice pairs of boot cut jeans, dressier boots than before, long sleeved pearl snap dress shirts and cowboy hats.

In comparison, I was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans, my brand new converse which were all black, and a long sleeved dark red dress shirt with a plain black tee shirt on underneath it, for good measure.

Hinata was wearing light wash jeans, a long sleeved black V-neck tee shirt with the logo of Linkin Park on it that she got from her dad last Christmas and just a plain pair of red and black Vans on. Nothing too fancy.

"Hey y'all, glad to see you could make it!" Bishop hollered at us as he walked up, shaking mine and Hinata's hand, before we did the same with Jessup. "Come, come sit, we just started drinking so you're not any behind us." I mean, these guys looked like they could drink, so them getting a little bit ahead of us might have just balanced out our amount versus theirs.

But we took a seat at the bar examining the drink options. "Just a Bud Light for me, and a hot cinnamon and apple cider for here, please." I asked the bartender politely, to which he responded by serving us after examining our ID's.

Jessup turned and looked at us, coughing a bit. "So, what parts are y'all from?" He asked with that twang in his voice that is native to the area that we were in.

"Konoha, we're down here for a little vacation time, need time to get away from the big city." Hinata said smoothly, sipping on the cider in the glass in front of her, drinking it down like she was a pro. Then again, it _is_ just cider.

I took a drink of my beer, nodding in agreement with her. "Yeah, we've been cooped up, and I heard a lot of nice things about the people and places down here, so me, her and my parents decided it was time to go on a vacation." More like my mom and dad made the choice, I just wasn't going to say no. Coulda, but nah, this is fun.

They both made a simultaneous 'ah' face, laughing and nodding. "You two siblings?" Us? Shit, we look pretty much nothing alike, so yea that's a negatory my fine, fine friend, nice guess though.

Shaking my head, I downed another gulp of my drink. "Nah, we're a couple." They looked at us, before a light went off in their head, I'm assuming they realized that we don't exactly look like siblings. "My mom and dad thought it'd be a good idea if we both got some time to spend with our significant other and just relax and wind down, Konoha has been a shit storm recently."

"Agreed, between the bridge attack and the rise of drugs being more prevalent in those areas, I can understand why things have been stressful in our red cousin just over the bridge over yonder." I'm sure Jessup was referring to the access bridges you have to cross to get here.

Bishop took a strong swig of whatever he was drinking, must be whiskey or rum. "Mhmm, it makes me mad seeing the way people are going, but in the end of it all, the thing that matters most is my kin and friends over here. Sacrifices hurt but they must be made." How true, Bishop.

Thirty minutes had passed and I had drank two beers, and Hinata had just finished her drink, when we got into a conversation about music. "Music has been a big thing in mine and hers life, we're actually in a band together."

We started explaining about Project:Genesis and the show we played and how we were looking for more shows to play soon. "That's a mighty fine thing, playing shows at this age. Most people down here listen to country, rock or metal, like what's playing right now." It was One by Metallica, a classic that'll be around for ages.

 _I can't remember anything, can't tell if this is true or a dream. Deep down inside I feel to scream, this terrible silence stops me._

All this bar played was stuff like this, Linkin Park, Chevelle, Slayer, Staind and the like, and I enjoyed it as much as Hinata did. "Ya know, we don't fairly enjoy the company of many city folk, especially rich city folk, but y'all are different, I can tell you're a bit southern at heart."

Coming from a local that meant a lot to us.

* * *

 _11:45 pm._

"Okay, but if you had to be honest, tell me you guys smoke weed."

We moved to the pool tables by the time we got to this point of conversation. I was feeling the effects of the beer and whiskey I had been drinking, and Hinata was feeling the cider hit her. "Well, yeah, enjoy getting stoned together." Hinata said. I had never seen her be this social before.

So maybe this vacation was good for multiple things. "Shitchya!" The two southerners said in unison as they laughed, high fiving us. "It's not legal here, but it's at least not gonna land ya in jail if its not a significant amount, like anything over four ounces." I think I'm in love.

I whistled in approval, lighting up a cigarette. "Well, we might be coming down here more often then." I said, laughing along with the men. "You guys know where to get any of that around here?" It was a touchy subject, but I hope they don't mind.

They laughed again, making me feel a bit better. "Shit, do we. It's everywhere, we even have some in our truck if y'anna go out there and have a quick toke." With a nod, we all downed our drinks and potted the rest of the balls, returning the sticks to the holders on the walls and started our trek to the outside of the bar, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

When we got out to their truck, which was parked behind the bar, they grabbed a cigarillo wrapper from the console, retrieving a rolled blunt and lighting it. "It's not the best, but for the price it's amazing. Sixty an ounce, one-sixty for a QP." Sounds like some reggie, in my opinion.

Boy was I wrong, when I got the chance to hit it, it was a smooth flavor, like popcorn almost, and it got me pretty decently buzzed. Apparently down here it's called 'popcorn weed' for the flavor and nugget shape.

We all took a seat on the tailgate of the truck, passing the blunt around and just talking. "So what's y'all's plans for the morrow?" I took it as he means to ask what we're doing tomorrow.

I just shrugged a bit, not sure of our plans. "We planned on doing a bit more shopping, maybe seeing a movie early on and just going around town." I said to the men on the tailgate with us.

"You ever think about getting you two a pair of boots?" Jessup had asked us. Boots? I mean, it hasn't crossed my mind, no, but the more I think about it they are pretty cool looking, even if they have a heel like a woman's shoe.

It was a cue for Bishop to reach into his wallet, grabbing a business card. "Our buddy Daniel owns a boot shop and has the best prices and quality in town, give 'im a visit if ya feel like it. Since it's y'all's first pair he'll help ya figure out summin." Hmm, it wouldn't hurt trying some of it on.

Giving him a quick salute, I thanked him for the card. "We'll definitely give him a holler tomorrow, It wouldn't hurt to try." As we were about to leave the bar, they wrote their phone numbers down on the back of the card, telling us to give them a text or call if we want to join them Saturday night for a tradition of theirs, whatever that means, it probably won't be good, but oh well.

Hinata curled up in the back of the taxi, who was taking us back to the hotel for the night. It was a short ten minute drive down the road, and we were there. "Mmph, carry me?" Her puppy eyes melted me, as I scooped her up into my arms, carrying her into the hotel room.

I eyed the bags we got from the store, but decided that tonight was already perfect enough.

Just sleeping next to her in this hotel room is already good enough for me.

As my new friends would say, goodnight, and don't let the bed bugs bite y'all!

* * *

 **A/N:** Ya know, it's not a bad chapter in my opinion, I started spacing the sentences out more, and toned the action of all kinds down for now, but there will be _plenty_ of action coming up in these next few chapters, ya heard? Now, go on and drop me one of dem reviews, or a pm in mah inbox and lemme know whatcha thought of this here chapter. Ja ne, for now, y'all!


	14. Truth

**A/N:** I was contemplating what direction I was going to take this chapter in, before settling on the one that's in this chapter. Truth comes out, a life changes and I only put one lemon in this chapter. I had to at least do one NaruHina lemon while they were on vacation, right? Anyways, please review these chapters, I really want to hear what you guys think about this story! Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters in this story (besides Asuka).

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 17th, 9:00 am._

I could get used to being here, in this hotel bed, with just me and Naruto-kun. How could it honestly get any better? Well, I mean it _could_ , but we're saving that for later, as to not over saturate this vacation with certain things.

He needed to get up, though, we had things to do, like visit the town a bit more, we were supposed to be going to meet with his parents for lunch anyways at noon and talking to them about how it was and what we've done so far, besides getting drunk with two locals, and high, but we're gonna leave that part out completely.

"Baby, wake up, we've got stuff to do love." I shook him gently as he started to stir, his eyes fluttering open to meet mine in a sleepy, tired gaze. I slowly moved my face closer to his and kissed him gently, savoring the feeling of his lips on mine.

After that, he was finally awake, smiling brightly at me. "Good morning my beautiful angel, did you sleep well last night?" The question was a rhetorical one, surely, he knows how I sleep when I drink and smoke. It's a surprise the alarm woke me up on time.

But I nodded to him, sliding myself out of bed and stretching, yawning loudly. "We have lunch with your parents, remember?" I'm sure he did, and I was right, as he nodded to me firmly. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm gonna need a good shower to wake up fully and wash the smell of last night, I'll be out shortly." I grabbed some clothes from my bag and headed to the restroom.

As I was about to grab the handle to the restroom door, a hand caught my wrist. "Ne, Hinata-chan, what do you think about sharing a shower? We've done a lot of things, but never that before." Hmm, this is honestly one of his best ideas.

The way he looked at me made me blush brightly as I nodded. We shut and locked the door behind us, assuring that no one can interrupt us. He helped me work my shirt off gently, his touch sending shivers up and down my spine as he caressed the skin on my back in an agonizingly slow rhythm.

The temperature began to rise in between my legs when he squatted down and started sliding off my pants and panties, leaving me naked. "Hey, it's not fair that I'm the only naked one." I breathed out, spinning around and removing his shirt quickly, my free hand working on the button and zipper to his pants.

In a heartbeat we were both completely in the nude. Naruto was the smart one and ran the water, filling the tub with the perfect level of hot water. After putting just a little bit of bubble bath mix in there, he took a seat in the water, reaching a hand out to me and helping me take a seat in between his legs, his surprisingly not hard cock resting against my back gently.

We sat there in each others embrace, with him slowly dampening my hair and rubbing my shoulders. I moaned a little bit at his work on my shoulders, mentally cursing myself for letting him know that he was turning me on. It's a game we play, and I'm losing terribly right now.

I swear I could feel his grin from behind me as he scored a point on me. His massage got deeper and deeper, as I started letting more moans out. But it was my turn to hit him with my own moves, shaking my ass just the tiniest bit, rubbing it softly against his member, which was slowly getting harder.

This 'war', if one could call it that, continued for a few minutes. At this point we were pretty much just testing each others self control and discipline. I think we both tapped out at the same time, as he leaned back and scooted down, giving me room to sit myself on top of him.

Which I did, moaning out loudly in relief when I felt him enter me, even more when he began his slow, loving thrusts into me, the tip of his seven inch cock hitting me in all the right spots, sending wave after wave of pleasure through my body.

Yeah, this morning just got a whole hell of a lot better. He continued wordlessly sliding in and out of me, occasionally grunting at the hot and wet feeling of my pussy grinding against his rock hard cock.

His slow motions drove me to the point of insanity, as he slowly worked me to an orgasm, even if it took him close to fifteen minutes. With a loud moan I came, the orgasm shooting through my body like a hot knife through butter. But he didn't stop there, opting to take complete control of the situation, moving me down a slight bit before easing himself into my tight asshole.

Even if it felt like fire, his hard and thick erection tearing and stretching my ass, I didn't care, moaning and groaning as he slid all seven inches of him into me. I gasped when he wasted little time picking up his thrusts, ramming into me fast and hard, not giving me a second to rest.

He latched onto my neck with his mouth, sucking in hard, but not enough to leave any hickeys. His continuous assault on my ass came to halt when I felt his cock spasm, and then I felt his warm cum flow into my ass as he huffed and groaned, shooting every drop into it.

Eventually he pulled out, watching as the cum flowed from my asshole and into the water. He pulled me back into him, hugging me there.

We still didn't say anything as we helped each other wash off and dry off, getting dressed in our clothes for the day. Him in his pants, shoes and plain red tee with a red light jacket on over, and me in my jeans, shoes and long sleeved pink shirt and black light jacket.

Once we left the bathroom, we looked at each other and smiled. And the smiles turned into laughter. "Oh man, I hope that wasn't awkward for you Hinata-hime." He laughed out, grabbing the car keys from the desk.

I laughed at him lightly, shaking my head no. "Nah, it was really good to just have sex, no ulterior motives, no rhyme or reason, just pure sex." And it was true. We didn't really like random sex, but by god that shit was amazing.

We buried our thoughts of sex, realizing that the clock read ten fifteen. We had an hour and forty-five minutes to screw off until we met his parents.

Fun.

* * *

 _12:00 pm._

The rest of the hour or so till we met his parents at this small barbecue diner was a lot more _quiet_ than earlier. I don't know what came over us honestly but it felt amazing to just let loose like that. Though the last bit wasn't the best move, I'm sure he had no choice. I prefer my cream pies as a food, but oh well.

You win some, you lose some. "Ohayo, Ms. Kushina, Mr. Minato." I bowed politely to his parents, which they waved off. I know they weren't the kind for niceties like that, but it's still something that's engrained in my memory.

We took our seats, ordering our drinks and food in one fell swoop. "So, how was you guy's day yesterday?" Minato asked in his soft, polite voice that's always ever-so subtly present in his speech.

Naruto took a swig of his tea before answering his dad. "It went really well, those two dudes we met were really nice. Other than that all we did was went and shopped for a little while, got some new clothes, went looking for you two's Christmas presents, and the like. How did y'all spend your day?"

I can only guess how they spent their day, but the blushes they were sporting told me how they spent their _night_. This was further supported by Kushina sputtering out some nonsense words that came across as 'same as you guys', but we all now that that's a bunch of bullshit. Me and Naruto didn't do anything, well, blush-worthy last night, albeit we were too drunk and high to even care.

Tonight, however, may be a different story. You never know. "Well, if you guys _insist_ it was a normal night..." I started, trailing off for dramatic measure.

Me and Naruto tried our hardest not to laugh, but caved in and started howling with laughter at the two red faced adults in front of us. I swear I hear Minato mumble under his breath, something about 'I swear it feels like we're in high school again'. Not wrong, though.

Understandably, they didn't talk much after our little teasing we did, only giving half answers and annoyed responses. They paid the bill and as we were walking out, right before we separated, Naruto looked over his shoulder spoke. "I'm glad we don't have rooms next to each other!" With that, we bolted off to the rental car.

Our departure was filled with two sighs of exasperation, from his parents, and our giggles, like we were schoolchildren again. It felt good to get one over on the parents.

Usually it's the parents that are the ones getting the kids in these situations, but we drove off feeling like a king and queen who just won a victory over their rivaling nation to the east of them. We high fived and kissed in celebration, laughing a bit more as we drove off into the city, looking for new things to do.

Today just got a whole lot more fun.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 17th, 1:30 pm._

I don't even know why my dad had me running up to his office to do this shit for him. I mean, sure it's just getting paperwork, but he knows I hate the way his co-workers look at me like I'm here to sabotage the nation.

But, these files were 'important' to him. If I had to guess, though, they're just something stupid, like usual. Some of the papers I've fetched for him have included a bill on banning imports of certain fruit due to 'high acidity' causing ulcers, which had to do with the military since they guarded the land ports that filtered the incoming goods.

And the port officials are technically members of the military since they're primarily land-guards and some other bullshit I could care less about.

Ugh, I just want to get this over with. I put the key into the lock on his door and turned it, swinging the door open shortly after. His office was actually...clean...strange...he usually doesn't keep it in order.

Whatever, I went over to his desk and found the small key to the drawer in his desk on the key ring, unlocking that and sliding it out. I sifted through the files, finding the file named 'Motion Seventy'. Yep. Another motion, typically another bill.

As I was about to shut the drawer, a file caught my eye. A manila folder with a label on it that had two words on it that caught my eye.

'Uchiha Motion.'

Uchiha? As in, Sasuke and Mikoto Uchiha, the only two remaining Uchiha in Konohagakure? I know I shouldn't look, but my mind couldn't help but wander over to the file in question. It was like my hand moved on its own accord, grasping the file and pulling it out of the drawer.

"What the fuck..." I muttered out loud, rushing over to the door and shutting it and locking it. No one can hear about this, I could be thrown in jail, or worse, made to do community service. "Ew." I shuddered at the thought of doing that stupid labor. Nevertheless, I flipped the file open and started to skim through it, my eyes widening at what I had stumbled upon.

 _"Uchiha Motion, brought forth by one Fugaku Uchiha, a Captain of the K5K._

 _The following is an account of what happened on one night in the Land of Rice, when the military of Konoha under the leadership of Hiruzen Sarutobi, which led to Fugaku Uchiha being made to go into hiding, in fear for the safety of him and his family.  
_ _Fugaku was already well known in the military, working as a main weapons designer, using his past in blacksmithing as a base for the weapons he designed.  
This all occurred unbeknownst to his wife and two sons, who would've been compromised by this information, though we have reasons to believe his wife, Mikoto Uchiha, had already known.  
_ _On the night of December tenth, in the year two thousand, at approximately eleven pm in the evening, the K5K were committing an undercover to oust a dictatorship in a local village that produced an essential oil in making a number of things which we will not cover in any file, when they were met with a stiff counter-attack.  
_ _Twenty of the twenty-five soldiers escaped, retreating, three were KIA and two were captured, their bodies were never recovered.  
It is believed that one of the soldiers was Shisui Uchiha, who was interrogated and tortured into giving up information about the Konoha government, including the weapons designers and manufacturers, including Fugaku Uchiha, and as such the ten names that were given up were forced to go into hiding or into service.  
_ _Fugaku Uchiha chose to go into service, eventually becoming a leading Captain of the special forces group known to most as K5K, or the Konoha Five Thousand, a highly trained group of individuals that lead covert missions to secure the borders of Konoha and insure security in the nation."_

I stopped reading right there, taking a break to process the information I had just read. "Wait...ten years ago is when Sasuke said his father disappeared..." If that's the case then..."Sonuva bitch!" I said, banging a fist against the table.

Fuck, I shouldn't have done that. I heard the voices of two men getting closer to here, saying they need to 'check this out'. Swearing under my breath, I threw the two files back into the drawer and locked it, darting into the closet to hide for the time being.

To say that I was in a panic was an understatement. Those were top secret military files I was just reading, which would land me life in jail, with no chance of getting out, not in this lifetime or in the next.

The two guys swung the door open, and scanned the room for a few minutes, before they left, locking the door back. "Phew, that was close, Shika." Don't wanna become a personal pincushion for anyone in Max Security jail, not anytime soon, nor anytime, well, _ever._

Wasting little time, I briskly walked back over and unlocked the drawer, grabbing the file and picking it up again, starting where I left off last time.

 _"Now Fugaku Uchiha has requested to come home, citing that eight years is long enough for him to be in hiding, and his age is getting up in numbers, making it harder for him to serve and make logical, reasonable choices.  
This is, as always, a choice of the Hokage, Minato Namikaze, the Hokage's advisor, Shikaku Nara, and the head of the K5K, Ibiki Morino.  
_ _An official meeting should be held before the end of August, but no earlier than July, in the year twenty ten.  
Please reply to me, the Daimyo of the Nation of Fire, by the end of the year of twenty ten.  
Signed, Kikyo Shimano, Daimyo."_

Fucking hell. Why do I always find out shit like this? I can't let this file get lost or destroyed, Sasuke and Mikoto deserve the truth, and so does Itachi. I stowed the file in my backpack, walking out past security with the stupid fruit bill in my hand.

What the fuck am I gonna do? I just stole a top secret military file.

Just when I thought this break was gonna be boring...

* * *

 _3:00 pm_

I had just delivered the file requested by my dad about thirty minutes ago, before quickly darting out of the house, opting to head to somewhere I knew would be safe from prying eyes, picking up a pack of cigarettes on the way. Stressful times call for stress relievers.

Memorial Park was an abandoned park from the nineties, worn down and beat up by the weather, which is where I set my laptop and the file I had up. I may be lazy but I know how to get information when I sure as hell want it.

In my backpack was a red and black USB stick that had a simple tag on it that read 'SSF', short for Shikamaru's Secret Filegrabber. "Ok, now, lets see what I can dig up on daddy Uchiha real quick." I muttered to myself, logging into the mainframe of the Konoha system. Once I gained access, I would only have thirty minutes to gather what I could before the anti cyber attack team shut me down.

With the USB engaged, it decrypted the password within seconds, and badaboom, I was into the mainframe and database relatively easily. "Fucking easier than I thought, that's for sure.". You would think they'd have advanced security. Nope, a high school kid hacked into with ease.

Why the hell am I doing this, anyways? It'd be so easy to turn tail and run, content with the file, it was enough for me.

But no, they need conclusive answers, and hard proof of what's going on. I dug for a few minutes looking through the keyword Uchiha, before finding what I needed, at least a hundred files on Fugaku. I didn't waste anytime flashing them over to my laptop, which took twenty minutes.

"Time's up, let's back out." I hit a killswitch on the program, terminating everything and wiping the laptop clean again. It was only the third time I had done this, and it was the only successful venture into hacking.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I began to pack up the laptop when I heard police sirens. "Ah damn it, did I forget to cover my trail?". It would seem so, as the sirens began to get closer and closer. Thinking quickly, I revved up the engine of my car and drove _into_ the park, tearing through the gas and down a small trail meant for ATV's and dirt bikes, but my car fit perfectly.

I managed to get out in the nick of time, following the trail to a massive concrete sewer ditch, riding the concrete sidewalks up top until I was met by a gate that led to a street, which was in the bad part of town, Los Kono, a place I don't wanna be for too long.

Swearing, I burst through the poorly locked gate and onto the road, thankfully unspotted by anyone except a few hood rats hanging outside a liquor store. "Let's go Shika, you got what you need."

What these files held is yet to be determined, but I will find out. But where do I go to examine these files?

Hmm. I guess if all else fails...

"Temari, baby, are you free right now?"

* * *

 _5:00 pm_

She met me outside her home as I quickly waved her into the car, where she took her seat briskly. "Shika-kun, what's going on?" I love you to death, woman, but I can not handle all these questions just yet.

Sighing, I started explaining to her everything I just went through, stopping to complain about my dad and his insistent need for me to do these things for him. "So that's the situation I'm in, did you catch it all?" I finished, staring her in the eye.

What I didn't see coming was the slap, which had a resounding smack on my face. "Are you fucking _serious_ , Shikamaru? You're gonna go and steal files and hack into a damn mainframe for a government right now!?" I mean, when else would I do it? "We have a _ton_ to handle already, including a _baby_ , and you go and out yourself at risk for jail like this? Are you serious?" I nodded slowly to her, as she grunted.

Admittedly, I can see where she's coming from. It wasn't my brightest move, but what else was I supposed to do? "Hime, I couldn't just _ignore_ the file, I admit it wasn't the best decision I could've made, but I did, so I need to know if you're going to stand by me, so what is it?"

Her face contorted in anger, and in thought, as she stared at me for a few minutes. Eventually, she sighed, burying her face into her hands. "Shika, of course, I have to admit this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to find out the truth, but I wish you wouldn't have. I mean, you already have, so it's too late, but still." I understand, love, I really do.

"Are you ready to look over the files with me?"

* * *

 _7:00 pm._

"I...I just don't understand."

"Neither do I, hime, neither do I."

What didn't we understand? Well, it would just so happen that one Uchiha Fugaku was denied his return home by my dad, Naruto's dad and Ibiki. Why?

Here's why.

 _"To the highly esteemed daimyo Kikyo Shimano, here is the answer to the Uchiha Motion, filed by Fugaku Uchiha._

 _It is with my deepest regret that we made the decision that his request to return home has been denied.  
The ties he has to this program are too risky to risk revealing to anyone, as it could lead to a swift and decisive loss for Konoha in any war we may happen upon.  
His knowledge of the way we operate the military and the schematics he has provided us with cannot be revealed to anyone, and to take the risk of releasing him from the military may prove to cost more than just his life, but thousands or even millions of lives.  
Signed and dated for November tenth, twenty ten, by the three men in charge of this decision.  
Ibiki Morino, General of the K5K.  
Shikaku Nara, head advisor to the Yondaime Hokage.  
Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage and commander-in-chief of the Konoha military.  
_

I growled, balling my fists up. "So...so they're just going to make him serve till death, and never give an answer to the Uchiha family as to _why_ he left?" To say I was angry was an understatement, I was _infuriated, livid,_ and _enraged._

I sent Temari home, she didn't need to see anymore, and left Sunagakure for Konoha, ready to get home and relieve some stress. I had barely made it past the border of our respective villages when I saw those flashing red and blue lights behind my car. "Fuck." Was all I could say as the two officers came up to my car, guns drawn.

Before they made it up to the car, I smashed the USB under my foot, and grabbed a sharpie, blacking out the file to where it was unrecognizable from any other file.

"Out of the car, now!" I did as I was told, exiting the car with my back to them. A pair of strong hands grabbed my shoulders and forced me to the ground, where I was cuffed rather quickly. "Shikamaru Nara, you are under arrest for cyber terror by hacking into a government website and, if convicted, treason."

Well, I'm screwed, I just hope it was worth it.

"You have the right to remain silent..."

Anything you say and do can and will be used against you in the court of law, yeah, I got it, seen enough Cops to know.

Take me away, coppers.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 17th, 8:00 pm._

It was, unsurprisingly, another quiet day in the Uchiha and Haruno household, where we sat around and played board games all day with my mom and brother. It was nice for a change, though, and there's no complaints from the two most important women in my life, so there's no room for me to complain either.

Our conversations floated anywhere from food, to animals (thanks, Itachi), to cars. But, as I expected, the conversation floated on over to my dad. I managed to stay out of it for the most part, glancing off any questions and attempts to get me into the conversation.

Quite frankly, I couldn't care less what happened to the bastard. He left us, for no reason, in the middle of the night. No rhyme or reason, just up and walked out. Maybe we weren't enough for him, but who cares.

Sakura touched my arm and looked at me, a cue that we should leave the room for my om and brother to hash things out.

We stepped outside to the back porch, sitting in the chairs outside, which were rather comfortable. "I don't know what they expect to get out of talking about the bastard, all I know is we'll probably never get closure, Sakura." I sighed out after a few dull but deafening moments of quietness.

She smiled sadly at me, rubbing my shoulder gently. "I know, Sasuke-kun, but if it means they can get it all out of their systems and be happier tomorrow and for the rest of these two weeks, then so be it, right?" I nodded, understanding what she was getting at.

After years and years of tension, it's good sometimes to let people talk and argue, so they can just get it all out of their system. "Yeah, I know, it's just not a conversation I can see myself taking part in, they know my opinion on what I think of the situation, and it hasn't changed. No reason in going and getting all worked up and angry over it again like I was years ago."

My list of things to do didn't include getting angry over the dead beat bastard anymore. It was on there, but I realized being angry and resentful only got me nowhere. But we kept talking for forty-ish minutes, pausing only so she could use the restroom real quick.

As we were about to continue our conversation, my phone rang. It was Temari, awkwardly. "Hey Temari." I said, putting the phone on speaker and setting it on the table that was outside.

 _"Hey, I didn't mean to call you but Sakura didn't answer her phone and I know you were with here, You are, right?"_ Oh yea, she left her phone inside on the charger for some reason. People and their damn phones needing to be fully charged.

"Yeah, we're out here, you're on speaker so go ahead and talk." I said, leaning back in the chair.

 _"Did Shikamaru ever come by your house? He said he was supposed to, it's_ really _important."_ The way she stressed the word important made me and Sakura look at each other, but shrugged it off.

"No, he hasn't yet, why?" She cursed strongly, as I heard her sigh through the phone.

 _"Damn it, he was supposed to high tail it over there, he had some files he had to show you, but that's all I can say, if what I think happened then my phone calls aren't safe right now."_ What the hell could she be talking about?

"What do you mean, Temari?" Sakura asked her, her forehead curling up in thought and worry.

 _"Guys, Shikamaru is in trouble, I think he's in jail."_

"What?"

"What the hell?"

"For what?"

 _"Treason."_

The call dropped.

* * *

 _9:45 pm._

Without a word we dropped what we were doing, telling my mom what was going on and bolting out of the house, and speeding off to the jail that was located in Konoha just out of the city limits, a thirty minute drive.

Briskly we walked into the reception area, walking up to the main desk. "Yes, we're here to see if a friend of ours is here." When prompted to tell the lady his name, we spoke simultaneously. "Shikamaru Nara."

The receptionist lady clacked away on her keyboard lazily, until she saw the results of her search, which was when her eyebrows narrowed. "Hmm, it shows us here that he's in maximum security detainment right now. Is this him?" She flipped the screen around to show a picture of Shikamaru they took for preliminary booking purposes, and he was shockingly wearing a smug grin.

I looked at Sakura, as we both shared a grim nod in acknowledgment. "Is there anything you could tell us about him and what all is going on?" The pink haired girl next to me asked, frowning more when the receptionist shook her head.

"It's all under wraps, top secret confidential stuff, yano? Whatever he did, he pissed off Ibiki Morino and the head of interrogation, Anko Mitarashi." I shuddered upon hearing that woman's name.

Anko Mitarashi, twenty eight years old and already made head of Konoha's I&T, an impressive feat, but none was more impressive than her interrogation skills, which are borderline war crime torture skills, but no, Konoha would _never_ break the Humanity Act of nineteen sixty-two. Emphasis on _never_.

We turned to leave, heading towards the door when we saw Shikaku waltz in quickly, blowing past us like we weren't here. He was a man on a mission, undoubtedly thinking the same thing both me and Sakura were thinking.

What the _fuck_ did Shikamaru do?

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 17th, 10:00 pm._

What the _fuck_ , man? I couldn't even get a full vacation, a _quiet_ vacation with my mom, dad and girlfriend before Konoha special forces came helicoptering in and scooping my dad up for 'important and urgent business that dealt with national security'.

I can get that it's important, but damn, the poor dude could barely get a day before shit hit the fan and they had to come beckoning him back to the city. I looked over to my mom, who was sporting an annoyed but grim look. "Ne, so what do we do now mom?" I asked, scratching my head.

She turned and looked at me and Hinata, putting on a smile. "Well, if they came in on helicopters and picked him up from the parking lot of a hotel, it must be pretty serious, no?" We both nodded. "Anyways, I'm sure he'd want us to continue on, right? I'm sure he'll call us and tell us what's going on pretty soon. But I, however, am tired and am in need of sleep. Ja ne!" With that, she strutted off to her hotel room.

The more I thought about it, the more it annoyed me, but I buried it, listening to my mom. I looked over at Hinata, and her eyes read the same worry and confusion that my eyes did.

Without a word, we called a cab and headed off to a bar where we could drink and talk this over, and try to figure out what the hell is going on, only stopping to get a pack of cigarettes for us.

When we got to the bar, it was much like the one we went to with Jessup and Bishop, smoke filled and jamming old school metal like Maiden.

I walked up to the bar and ordered our drinks while Hinata found a table for us in the far corner of the bar, watching me as I carried over the drinks to the table that we would populate for a little while. Or longer, pending how this went.

Sighing, I took a sip of my beer before speaking. "So, what do you think it could be? It couldn't be another terrorist attack right? Or we woulda heard about it by now." She just sighed and shook her head, lighting her cigarette.

Silence overcame the table in an uncomfortable way as we pondered our thoughts and smoked our cigarettes, downing our drinks and waving for another one. "Ano..." Her voice broke the silence quietly. "Maybe we should call Sasuke, he might know more since he's in the city, no?" It wasn't a bad idea.

It rang, for about four times, before an obviously tired and annoyed voice answered. _"I was just about to call you."_ If he was about to, then he knows something. _"We have a problem. Shikamaru is in jail."_ Uh, what? Shika, in jail?

"Come again, please?" I asked, sighing when he reiterated the previous statement. "Mendokuse..." I cursed under my breath. A national security issue and our friend in jail, this had to be some sad coincidence, right?

 _"Ne, yeah, Temari called us and told us she thought he was, she seemed worried and panicked."_ Sakura's voice rang over the phone. _"I think she knows more than she has said so far, but I don't know dude."_

I asked him what she said and what they learned when they went to the prison. "Shit." I&T, he's gotta have something to do with this then. And to anger both Anko _and_ Ibiki, he's really fucked up somehow. "Top secret and confidential, yea?"

 _"Yep."_ Sasuke's voice came over the phone. _"And now hearing that your dad is coming back early and in a rush this can't be good. I know Shikamaru had been having issues recently, but to land himself in jail and being interrogated by the two best of Konoha? Yeah, I'm fuckin' worried."_ Me too, buddy, me too.

"Can you keep me posted on what you can find out?" I asked, getting a confirmation from him before hanging up, thrusting my head into my hands. "Fuck, why does this has to happen to him? He's doing his best to start a family the right way and now this?"

Hinata smiled softly yet sadly and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, we'll find out the truth eventually. For now, we have to be strong and keep ourselves out of trouble. I have faith Shika will be just alright and this is just a bad coincidence."

I wanted to believe her, I really did, but to land yourself...no, there's more to this. "There has to be more of an answer from Temari, but no one can get ahold of her, Sasuke said she 'doesn't think her phone calls are safe' so she shut it off after their call dropped." This isn't a mix up, my lover.

She seemed to know it too, nodding in agreement. "Well, there's only one way to find out." I looked at Hinata questioningly, as she smiled. "We need to try and reach her for ourselves and ask her what's going on." And how do we do that? "Burner phone, untraceable, I know she has one by now, she's smart enough to get one. Finding the number may be a chore, though..."

Genius, Hinata, now we just have to find the phone number. As if it were on cue, a man slid into a chair next to us, sporting a briefcase and a smile. "I couldn't help but overhear that you two are trying to track down a phone number?" He asked, his smile genuine, and his words smooth like he was a professional salesman.

"Uh, y-yeah, yeah we do." I stuttered out, how much did he actually hear? "But, um, if I may ask, what is your name?" With another smile, he whipped out a cigar and lit it.

Taking a puff off of it, he blew the smoke into the air. "Kumori, is what you can call me, but I can't reveal my actual name, you must understand right?" I nodded, dumbly I have to admit. "The way this works is you pay me a small sum of a hundred and fifty Ryo and I can track down any burner phone number in a heartbeat."

Cloudy, like his cigar smoke? Before I could say anything, Hinata slid the money forward, smiling. "Please, it would help us a great deal." Uh, Hina? "Her name is Temari, but that's all I can say too, Kumori-san."

I could tell what she was doing, she knew how to play a cool hand, popping a cigarette into her mouth and lighting it, exhaling smoke like she was a mob boss.

It took the man five minute to find her number, and only five minutes, writing down on piece of paper and sliding it into my pocket before walking off, smiling like a thief that just got away with a big score. I don't know how he did that on his tablet, but he did.

We wasted little time in dialing the number, hearing it ring three times before it answered, the voice we were searching for coming over the other end of the line. _"H-hello? W-w-who is this?"_ Her voice came over shakily, stuttering out.

Frowning, I answered her. "Temari, it's Naruto and Hinata. We heard about what happened to Shika." Was all I said, leaving the end of my statement open for any response she could have for me.

She sighed heavily over the line. _"Guys, you scared me, I don't know where you got this number but now that you have it, yea he's in jail. I was the last person he talked to leaving my phone calls and messages up for screening, they're trying to save any sensitive info from leaking."_ Sensitive info? Leaking? What the hell could Shika gotten a hold of that could be _that_ sensitive?

Taking a swig of my drink, Hinata took her turn at speaking. "Temari-chan, we need to know what happened. Naruto's dad got swooped away in a helicopter from here in a hurry and they said it was a national security issue, did he have something to do with it?" She spoke calmly and smoothly, soothing Temari into talking.

A gentle sob came through the speaker on the phone, and we heard her hit something, hopefully just her leg. _"He stole secret documents containing information on Sasuke's dad, he was in his dads office and saw the file sitting there and couldn't help but look at it."_ Ah shit, really? I can understand the curiosity, but...

"Wait, so what about his dad? As far as any of us knew, we were always under the presumption that he left them one random night...random night...hm..." I thought about how sketchy that really sounded and added the fact that there was a confidential file on him in the Hokage's advisor's office.

 _"Let me explain as quickly as I can, I have a limited amount of time."_ Taking a deep breath she began. _"If you could, save questions for the end. Shika was supposed to go get something for his father from his father's office but he saw the file in his desk. Intrigued he read it, and what he found was the truth. His father was working in secrecy as a weapons designer for the military, but when a mission went bad two soldiers gave him and nine others up so they forced him to either go into hiding for his safety and his families."_ Ok, so far so fuckin' good, but what else did he find in that file?

 _"Well, the file was a request to be dismissed, citing that eight years was long enough. Well he took the file and hacked into the governments website and pulled the other files on him, trying to find the answer they came to. He downloaded them onto a thumb drive and jetted before the police got to him and came to me. We looked over the files and what we found wasn't good."_ With another sigh, she continued.

 _"He was_ supposed _to go to Sasuke's with this info, but he never made it I assume, when I talked to Sasuke all I could say is he's in jail, before I cut my phone off."_ At this time I was sitting there in silent anger at what happened.

But that just leaves one question that's best asked by Hinata. "Ano, so-so, um...what did they choose for his dad?" The answer we were about to get wasn't the one we really wanted, but it was the one we needed.

 _"They...they...they denied his request..."_

"Wha...what?"

"They _denied_ him?"

"What the fuck! I can't even go fucking home after _eight_ fucking _years_ of this shit!?"

We turned to see who the new voice in the conversation was, our eyes opening wide in shock. Fugaku Uchiha was standing before us in this bar, and he was listening in on the conversation we were having with Temari.

And he was _pissed_.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 17th, 11:45pm.  
_  
How _cute_. They had me in a dimly lit room, gave some water but no food, and my hands were cuffed to the table. And now, they had Anko Mitarashi in the room with me, just staring at me, trying to use her looks and reputation to crack me early.

Lazy bitch. Her black jeans, black tee shirt tucked into her jeans, cleavage popping out, cream colored trench coat, deep purple hair tied into a bun and black tactical boots had no effect on me.

I cleared my throat, annoyed with her staring. "I'm taken, just so you know, so your staring and cleavage has no effect on me." I smiled when I got the reaction I was aiming for, her face contorting in anger and frustration. Jackpot, get under their skin before they get under yours.

Waltzing over here she slammed her hands on the table, getting in my face. "Young punk, I don't know what you think you're doing, but you don't run shit around here, I do, and you're my bitch until you either crack, or lose your mind, you got that?" She finished with a pointy question, accentuated with a fist slammed on the table.

A chuckle escaped my throat, as I smiled in her face. "Sure, I got that, but from what I see, I have info you need and you don't, so let's play, shall we?" I'm not in the mood to beat around the bush. It already sucks that I gotta be here.

Anko grinned, grabbing a file from her satchel. "Shikamaru Nara, eighteen, in custody of the Konoha I&T department for questioning on the disappearance of a sensitive file from your father, Shikaku Nara's office. How funny it went missing from your dad's office, something you could theoretically gain access to, no? And you had a blacked out file and smashed thumb drive in your car, suspicious much?" I knew what she was getting at.

"I'm not going to say anything, so you might as well just hit me with your best shot."

I sealed my fate when I called her the one word you don't call Anko Mitarashi.

"Bitch."

Her grin disappeared, before a sadistic one took it's spot. I gulped, but held my façade.

These next few hours are going to suck.

* * *

 _December 18th, 4:35 am._

She really did hit me with her best shot, before they thrusted me into this prison cell, bloody and broken and beaten and bruised. I held my ground, though, in a feat that I don't think she ever saw coming.

It started with your standard rough questioning, yano, yelling, slamming things, she hit me a few times, but that wasn't anything I couldn't handle. A few punches and slaps were nothing compared to what came after that, though.

Next was the electro shock questioning, where any time I gave them an unsatisfactory answer they delivered electric shocks into my body through electric nodes connected to my body in random spots. Arms, armpits, stomach, chest, neck, it was brutal.

Following that was more questioning, except she slammed me around, kicking me, punching me, threatening me with her knife. I didn't quite expect her to actually use it on me, but I was proven wrong when she trailed cuts on my arms, back and chest.

I almost caved when she rubbed low concentrate salt and lime in the wounds, but once more I barely wavered. Then she twisted my joints, fingers, ankles, shoulders and the like, trying to get me to literally, mentally, physically and figuratively tap out.

One of the last things she did was just rest on her knee, her knee dug into my back while she smoked a cigar, occasionally burning me with it. I couldn't give up, though, if I did then this was all for naught. When they drug me to the cell, she said goodbye in to form of a straight jab to my nose, busting it and breaking it. I was at least given a roll of toilet paper, a steel bed, toilet and sink to wash myself off in.

Another hour passed before a guard informed me that I had a visitor. It was someone I expected to come eventually.

My father.

"Shika, wh...what did you do?" He stuttered out, at a loss for words at the image of his son, aching and bloody, fresh from a session with the best interrogator in the five great nations. What was I supposed to say?

I struggled to find my voice, taking a sip of water from the sink. "J-justice, father, justice for a mistake made by you, Minato and Ibiki. Soon enough, I'll break, so I don't know if this will be our last meeting like this." Smiling, I grabbed the bars holding me in.

His look wavered, as he stared into my eyes. "I don't know what to say. I can try to delay any further questioning, but that'll only make this look even more suspicious." And he wasn't wrong. I waved his offer off, as he was drug off by a prison guard.

I needed to lay down, the cold steel soothing the wounds on my back.

What's next?

* * *

 _7:00 am._

Yeah...I shouldn't've asked what's next...

Anko tried everything she could, including double shock questioning, more rounds of beatings, cuttings, burnings, twisting's. But nothing could make me break. Not even the one thing that was supposed to be outlawed. Waterboarding.

They didn't do it for too long, but I almost lost myself to a panic attack. Once more, I somehow persevered, battling through this and not giving in to them. I think I not only annoyed and angered Anko, but impressed her. No one had made it this far with her behind the questioning.

I drifted off to sleep, her voice haunting me from behind the bars. "I'll give it to you, kid, you're one tough son of a bitch."

Damn right.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 17th, 11:30 pm._

To say he was livid was a sorry understatement. He was beyond that, stomping around outside with us while we smoked, ranting on and on about how he did this much and went through this and that and that he was fucked and contemplated going AWOL.

"S-sir..." Hinata started but trailed off, wavering under his glare. "Let me introduce us, I am Hinata Hyuuga, friend of Sasuke's, and this is Naruto Uzumaki, son of the fourth Hokage and best friend of Sasuke's. Let me clarify, we don't agree with his father's decision at all." She added that last bit to save my ass.

He glared for a minute, before chuckling. "I am Fugaku Uchiha, captain in the K5K and I'm pissed off. But what I's be more worried about, if I were you guys, would be your friend. He's gonna get Anko, and he will be broken beyond any repair."

"Trust me, we know, sir. But we also want to help get justice for you and your family. They deserve a lot better than what the Konoha government has given them." It was true, truer than anything I had said pretty much all damn day. Besides telling Hinata 'I love you'.

A sigh emanated from him, as he grabbed a cigar from his tin cigar holder in his pocket. "I know, but there's not much we can do, they come to a decision and they're dead fuckin' set on it. The only way we can change the Hokage's mind is you have a rope around his balls." He chuckled more, before he caught my mischievous, contemplating glare.

I smiled brightly, grabbing my phone and called someone who could help us. "Hey mom, we need some help..."

* * *

 _December 18th, 2:15 am.  
_

"So you're telling me that this is Mikoto-chan's husband, who had to go hide?" We all nodded. "And that he requested to come back, which was denied by my ex-fiancée?" On more time we all nodded in unison. "Well then..." She called someone, and I felt bad for whoever it was.

Rightfully so. She yelled, cursed and threatened the poor man, my dad, until he caved in and told us something. _"Look, all he has to do is make it till eight in the morning, when Anko is out of time. We only gave her eight hours because he's only eighteen. As far as I know, he's going strong, so he might make it, then I will take over the case."_

We let out a collective sigh of relief. "But what about me, ya bastard? So I have to stay here, away from my family?" We almost forgot about that fact. My dad sighed in what I assumed was frustration.

 _"Me, Ibiki and Shikaku never came to that agreement, we were going to let you go after all. But someone changed the file, and now we have to figure out who. I'll be drawing up a new one and sending it out to the Daimyo tomorrow so we can have you home soon, ok?"_ Fugaku agreed, still irked but happy.

We passed the next hours, over six hours, twiddling our thumbs and making small talk as we awaited the news of Shikamaru's fate. Turns out the K5K is boring, Mikoto and Fugaku have a lot in common, and guns are louder than shit. Well, according to him.

It was six thirty when we got the call.

He didn't break, and now my dad could take over the case. Thank god for that.

Fugaku went back to base as we all went to sleep, trying to forget the previous nights contents.

* * *

 _4:00 pm._

Sasuke found out after a few hours, Temari getting a hold of him and telling him. Naturally he was pissed off, but after another few hours he calmed down and accepted the truth and that he couldn't be mad.

Sakura took it more well than him, understanding that he had no choice. He either left or got jailed for pretty much the rest of his life, never getting the chance to return home to his kids and wife.

Mikoto, well, I figured she kinda knew all along that something was awry, and she wasn't surprised to hear that he was forced away. 'I always knew he wouldn't leave me like that' she proclaimed, and she really wasn't wrong.

Itachi was always cool, calm and collected according to Sasuke. So when we heard he took it better than everyone, I wasn't all that surprised. Overall, they were just happy to have him coming back, a date coming soon.

Shikamaru, however, was another case. Half of the council wanted my dad to prosecute him, half took pity. But I knew my dad always has a plan, and he did, telling us not to worry about it, and that he'd take care of it sooner rather than later.

Temari was an emotional wreck after hearing who we was with, but calmed down when she heard he was ok, in one piece and that he was more than likely going to be released in the coming week or two.

Ino and Asuka never really knew about Fugaku, but they were saddened to hear the story, only to be made happy again when they heard what was going to be happening with Shikamaru and Fugaku.

We decided it was best if we left, catching some sleep before we left just now, packing all the stuff into the car and jetting. It was time to get home and get this figured out, so we can all move on with our lives. Why did this all have to happen a week before Christmas?

Only time will tell us.

* * *

 **A/N:** So this one is a good bit shorter than the previous ones but I've jammed so much into it that I hope that you will like it. I was going to make it longer but I couldn't think of what else I could fit in here. Next chapter will be the Christmas chapter though! So prepare yourselves for lot's of fluff, fro every character, including the parents and others. Please, I beg of you, _please_ review and favorite/follow. Ja ne!


	15. Silver Bells

**A/N:** Well, it's the Xmas chapter! We've made it four months now, and we have a ways to go! I plan on doing a mega time-skip soon, only stopping for valentines day, then it'll be onto the finals, and then summer, and then, well, senior year. But for now, we have Xmas, then the new year, and then we'll see how things go from there. So read, and if you enjoy it, drop me a review and maybe favorite/follow. Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters (besides Asuka), nor any of the Christmas music in this chapter. Mary Did You Know is based on Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd's version, but meh, oh well.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 25th, 12:00 am._

"Merry Christmas, my beautiful princess."

"Merry Christmas, my handsome prince."

We shared a kiss sitting on his bed at his place, a warm one, deep and passionate as well. I don't know if we're still getting through the initial stages of our relationship, but I still get that 'fireworks' feeling when we kiss.

It's like my brain and heart hopped up and decided to start doing flips in my body all while my lungs want to stop working and my legs turn into wobbly pieces of shit, like some angle hair spaghetti noodles. After everything this month has held, nah scratch that, after these _few months_ , we persevered and held onto our faith and love.

Crazy to think that just a few months ago I was still a shy little girl hiding behind a fake façade of quietness and drugs. Now I'm 'outgoing', and I enjoy being around people, most importantly I stopped doing drugs. Well, not weed, but still, I don't count it.

My dad and sister have taken it shockingly well, considering I'm pretty much a brand new person. My sister has been really well in school, I think she's getting a crush on the Sarutobi boy, Konohamaru is his name I believe. My dad is still the hopeless romantic, even if he tries to move on after mom passed I think he's doing ok on his own, and even if he scored a lady, it would be weird.

Naruto's parents have, er, _rekindled_ their relationship. In fact, I'd day they've 'rekindled' their relationship quite a few times this week. Ew, I don't want to think about his mom and dad going twenty toes, yano, bumping uglies? Going heels to Jesus?

Ugh, too many euphemisms for sex. Sometimes I get the feeling us humans have too much time on our hands.

I whined a bit when he broke the kiss, but stopped when I saw him put his hand up in a pausing motion. "I would've waited till we were all together, but I want us to be alone when I give this to you." Ooh, an alone gift, this has to be good. He reached under the bed and grabbed a small, thin rectangular box, handing it to me.

Honestly, he wrapped this so good I almost felt it insulting to tear it open, opting to undo it at the seams. Once I got it unwrapped, I saw it was a black jewelry box. Sliding the top open, my eyes widened at what was in the box, a tear sliding down my face.

Inside the box was a silver necklace with two silver hearts on it, one of them having my birthday and the other his, and in sitting right in the middle of the hearts was a small silver Celtic cross, ornate and intricate in design. "You...you actually remembered that I loved Celtic crosses?" I asked in a quiet voice, as he sat there and nodded softly at me.

"Do you like it?"

Twas a simple question, but it triggered so many different emotions and memories in my head. It's like everything he's done for me has hit me all at once. Memories of him holding my hair back while I was throwing up when I was going through withdrawals, holding me when I couldn't sleep, thinking about my mom and Neji, my estranged cousin, and the times he made me feel less insecure about my body.

'You're so beautiful, Hinata-chan.'. 'How did I get so lucky with a princess like you?'. 'I'll never stop holding you, you know that right?'. 'Even on your worst days you still look like the most beautiful princess in the great five nations.'. 'I love you, hime.'.

Those were just some of the words that he's told me that were floating through my head. "I...Naruto-kun..." I tried my hardest to find my voice, loosing it in my thoughts, which were drawing me back to a little over a month ago, just before thanksgiving.

 ** _flashback-November 23rd, 3:15 am._**

I feel bad, I'm all up in my emotions right now. Naruto has done everything he can to make me feel better but tonight just isn't the best of nights for me.

Everything he's tried hasn't gone well, with me barely managing to give him a three second smile before I went back to the same emotionless face, void of anything. He even said my eyes don't look the same, they looked... _empty_.

To be honest, I'm legitimately surprised he hasn't gave up and made me go home yet. For a princess I sure am acting like a little brat right now. It's like I'm stuck in an apathetic rut and can't even dig myself out, like my feet are stuck in cement.

And it's even worse because he's going through so much right now, add me acting like this and I think I might just break the great Naruto Uzumaki, king at staying cool and not giving up his emotions. Speaking of emotions, why the hell does he even love me? Especially when sometimes I don't show him how much I love him, instead soaking in his love like a magic mop.

We were just sitting on his bed, when my mouth seemed to move on it's own, asking him the question that I always thought about but never spoke. "Naruto-kun, why do you love me?"

His look felt like a knife being rammed into my heart, a look of sadness and confusion. A tear rolled down my face, before he wiped it off. "Hime, to answer that question, why wouldn't I love you? You're perfect in every way." The way he said it made it seem like it should be common knowledge.

But it's not. "But...I'm far from perfect..." And I really was. I wasn't the best looking, I had a ton of mental baggage, bad self esteem issues, anxiety, kind of paranoia, and like right now I had bouts of apathetic nothingness.

Two strong hands spun me around to face him, as he wore a serious look on his face. "Hinata." He rarely ever called me just Hinata in a strong tone like this, except when he was going to say something serious. "I want you to know that no matter what, I will always love you, whether it's three in the morning and you're crying your eyes out because you don't think you're beautiful, or if it's two in the afternoon and we're leaving school singing along to stupid songs in my car."

I went to say something, but he cut me off with his hand. "I fell in love with you, Hinata-chan, with _you_. And who you are is who I love, not some picture perfect Barbie doll, but you. Your imperfections are what make you so perfect to me, because they made you into you, and like I said, that's who I fell in love with. So no matter what you say, just remember that to me, you'll always be my perfect princess, no matter where or when it is, you're my princess and I will be there for you twenty four seven."

 ** _flashback end_**

Just like he said, he stayed with me while I cried my eyes out for the next two hours, he even took me to get ice cream at five in the fuckin' morning like the loser I am. But 'that's the loser I fell in love with'. I can just here his voice saying that to me, crushing any doubt I had in myself.

Turning back to him, I mustered up all the might I could to speak. "I don't just like it, Naruto-kun...I love it." His smile when I said that melted me, and the warm hug he wrapped me in did me in, causing the tears to flow freely out of my eyes and onto his chest, which was soaked within a few minutes.

His gentle voice spoke into my ear, which didn't help anything naturally, considering his sweet words are why I'm crying in the first place. "Shh, it's ok, I'm right here hime, don't cry." He knew telling me not to cry did practically nothing, but he still said it.

This time wasn't as bad as the time I just thought of, only going for about twenty minutes before the tears stopped. He let go of me, looking at me when I pulled back to look at him. I realized why he let go of me when he grabbed the necklace, looping it around my neck and locking it.

I stood up and went and looked in the mirror of his restroom. The necklace was something else, so beautiful and elegant. His arms wrapped around me from behind me, his lips gracing my cheek in a warm and tender kiss. Tonight honestly couldn't get any better, besides if we were high, that would make this night perfect.

"Do you wanna smoke? I have some rolled up already."

This man...I swear he knows all the right things to say to me at all the right times.

"I was wondering when you were gonna ask...baka."

He smiled at me, scooping me up and throwing me on the bed, showering me with kisses. Tonight just got perfect.

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 25th, 12:00 am._

I have a feeling tonight is a night for reflecting on the past times in our lives when things were different. Me and Asuka had just wished each other a merry Christmas a few second ago, and it felt so right it should be wrong. I don't know if that makes sense, but oh well, get over it.

Eyeing the scars on my wrist, I frowned, remembering that day. It was a terrible day for me, a lonely October day. That was before Asuka came into my and, and came on my face...ok let's not go there, this isn't the time for sex, it's the time for love and remembrance.

Ever since she came into my life, things have been better, in a sense. We both have had a hard time shaking the drugs, but we've been trying together and getting better by the day. Tonight we were sober, holding each other in our bed, the heater cranked up because it was twenty degrees outside and the insulation in this house has to be like five hundred years old.

Asuka wrapped me in her arms, breathing in the scent of my hair. Honestly, I don't know where I would be if she hadn't moved in with me. I might have tried to end my life again, but the problem is I don't know if I would've, and I'm glad I don't know. Who knows if I woulda made it that time.

"Ino, did I ever tell you how much I love you, baby?" Yeah, you have honey, almost every day, and I tell you just as frequent. She still had nightmares every now and then.

Her paranoia is a lot worse than mine, as she would wake up sometimes crying hysterically because she thought I had left her, when I was just in the restroom. Was it worth it, though? I looked at her smiling face, and agreed that it was more than worth putting up with it.

It's not like I was the only one that handled shit from my partner, she did her fair share of it too. I would sometimes have flashbacks to the shit I saw when I was bleeding out in my bathroom, and it still haunts me. Sakura was there, and I never had the courage to ask her about it. I don't know if she saw what I saw in that dark, grim place, but if she did, I need to know how she handled it.

Sakura...that woman and I have been through some stupid shit. It's safe to say I love that woman like a sister now, she's been there for me and Asuka since the night I tried to leave this world.

Even after the years of us fighting and making up, only to fight and make up all over again. It was an endless cycle, yeah. Through the fire and flames we've persevered and reestablished our friendship, though, so we're all good.

"Yes, Asuka-chan, and I never tire of hearing you tell me." I leaned my face close to hers and gave her a soft, quick kiss, but still a loving and caring kiss, one that needed no further words or explanations. It was a reassurance of our feelings for each other.

 _Silver bells, silver bells, it's Christmas time in the city._

The soft Christmas music in the background serenaded us, the two women clad in only our undergarments, laying in each other's warm and tender embrace in the bed that they both share, a bed that has seen a lot of love. But it has also seen it's fair share of bad times, too, one specific one that no matter what I try, I can't shake it out of my head and into the pits of memories to forget.

 _ **flashback-November 13th, 2:00am.**_

I drew the plunger back on the syringe, drawing the light brown liquid into the chamber through the needle attached. Why did it have to get this bad, again? I never meant for this to go this far, but obviously I didn't try hard enough.

Never before did I imagine me, laying in bed with nothing on, shooting up fuckin' heroin of all things. But it's the only thing that could banish the nightmares and bad feelings from my weary and broken head.

Finding the right vein I plunged the needle into it, slowly injecting myself with the cooked up drugs and feeling my mind immediately soar into a realm of peacefulness.

Numb. That's the only way I can describe how I felt right now. Void of feeling of any type of emotions besides happiness. For the time I was high, I was invincible, bullet proof, untouchable, I was _fine_. No longer could the images and voices of the past intrude on my psyche and torment me with their words, constant reminders of how I was, once upon a time, fucked up.

FUBAR, as some may call it, I was truly fucked up beyond all recognition, I didn't even recognize myself. Who had I become? What had I done to get to the point I'm at right now? A hopeless junkie with nothing better to do while her parents slept downstairs, naïve to my nighttime activities.

 _"You didn't do anything, Ino, this has and always will be you."._

I jumped from my bed, the voice loud and clear to me. "Fuck, I need more.". Obviously if I can still hear the voices then I haven't gotten to the right level yet. Another shot was put down into my veins, pushing me further and further into a state of absolute nothingness.

Was it too far, though? Perhaps. I was glued to my bed, stripped of all my clothes that were suffocating my body, letting myself hang free and float in my own astral plain of enlightenment and enrichment of my soul and mental scape.

My body, was it enough for people to love me? Surely my personality wasn't enough, but the guys I've fucked seemed to think my body was good enough to love me for the thirty or so minutes that we shared, but it was never enough to make them stay.

I tried to get up, but it was like someone put a weight on my chest gluing me down to my forsaken bed, cursed with the memories I tried to escape, the sounds of mid-coitus moaning and post-coitus leaving, footsteps trailing off into the distance, gravel rolling under car tires as another man sped down the road, done with me and my body, had his fill for the night.

He'll be back.

They always come back.

But for now, I'm trapped in my own bed, tortured by my own thoughts. If there is a god, save me, please.

 _ **flashback end**_

Yea, for the longest time things weren't looking up for me. But now I had my lover, partner and best friend, and I wouldn't trade her away for all the gold and silver in the world. She was simply, to me, priceless.

An irreplaceable piece of china in the cabinet, passed down from generation to generation, only used on special days or nights. And to her, I was the same, that's what makes this work so well.

I slid my bra off, knowing it was uncomfortable against Asuka's back, doing the same with my panties, because why not? "Ooh, being a little tease aren't we?" Her voice taunted me, my breasts were placed solidly against her back. It felt good, though, and I know she loved it too.

Chuckling, I kissed her neck gently. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not." I spoke back at her, prompting her to remove her own bra and panties, evening the score at one and one.

She wants to see teasing, then I'll really tease her. Deciding to do it, I slide a hand between her closed legs, brushing a finger up and down her hot and wet area, enticing a moan and whimper from her. She won't give in that easy though. Next move was to ever so gently flick a finger past her clit, like a feather, slowly, making her shake and tremble at the touch of my finger.

Her lips was trembling while I continued the motion, so I brushed my lips over hers, not fully engaging in the kiss, leaving her longing for more of me, more of my touch, what a feeling that was.

When someone is longing for what you have, your touch, love, kisses and hugs, you know in that moment that you control them to a certain extent. It's a power trip, in a sense, one that never gets old to me.

My arousal grew too, though, hearing her grunt, moan and whimper, trying her hardest not to give in to me. Funny thing, the clit is. If you toy it just right, then..."P-please, Ino-chan..." Bingo. I hate to hear her beg, but...ah who am I kidding? This is sexier than shit. Score is two to one, in my favor, of course.

But I couldn't leave her begging for _too_ too long, slipping a finger into her entrance and pumping it in and out slowly, feeling the wetness of her coat my fingers. "You like it when I finger you like this, 'Suka?" My words were coated in lust and venom, making her legs tremble and her whimpers turn into more moans. God I love being me, it has its perks on the rare occasion.

She shook her head yes, her entire body shaking, begging for more of me. I obliged, slipping a second finger in and picking up speed, reaching my other hand over and softly teasing her clit. I knew she wouldn't be able to handle much more of this.

How right I was, when a few minutes later she let out a cry of pleasure and ecstasy, an orgasm assaulting her body with trembles and moans, which were reduced to soft and quiet whimpers after a minute.

I took my fingers and licked the cum off of them, smiling wickedly at Asuka. "That's three to one, love." I muttered in her ear, laughing when she looked at me with a face that read 'not for long'.

So began the war, and what a fun one that is.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 25th, 12:00 am._

It was your normal midnight on Christmas, me and Sakura wishing each other a merry one. Mom and Itachi were asleep already, lame asses, so that left me and Sakura just sitting on the back porch, a blunt in each of our hands.

Feliz Navidad was softly playing from the Bluetooth speaker that was posted up on the table on the porch, which I mean I could honestly do without Christmas music, but hearing my pink haired girlfriend sing it made it ten times better than it was beforehand.

This has been one helluva week, mainly hearing about my dad. How did I really feel about it? Apathetic. It's gonna be fun catching up with him, and I'm glad he's coming back, more so for my moms sake than mine if I'm being honest. She's been in shambles ever since he left.

Was I mad? At him, not really, he didn't have much of a choice. If he refused he'd most likely be dead or in jail, no chance at ever coming back, so I can at least understand why he did what he did. And the whole secret job thing, I can understand as well. Trust no one, because the more people that know, the more targets there is if any enemies ever found out about it.

From what I've heard, he was a damn good designer too, which meant all more of a bounty on his head.

No, who I'm mad at would be the government and whoever covered it up, but I can't and won't spend my time being bitter about it and let my dad handle it, and I'll help him out in any way possible.

As for what am I gonna say when we 'catch up'? Well, for starters, the biggest thing will be Sakura and everything that's happened with her, the band, and what's going to happen to Shikamaru.

I don't know what to think about that right now, I'm sorry he got into trouble, for both me and Naruto. Well, he didn't get in legal trouble for Naruto, but he beat the ever living shit outta someone, so there's that. And now, if what I've heard is correct, he's getting tortured for me. What I've also heard is Naruto's dad pardoned him, coming up with a lie to help him out. I like that man.

But I'm too high to think straight about that right now. Me and Sakura were layered up deep in our winter clothes and a space heater on full blast in the screen enclosed porch. We even covered the screens with thick plastic to keep the wind from blowing in.

Our conversation was rather...funny, to say the least. "Nah, there's no way you can keep up a boner in this cold of weather." Sakura giggled out, patting me on the thigh, which was freezing to death right now.

Laughing along, I puffed out my chest as if I was trying to act ultra tough. "You already know I can, you know how rock hard it gets." Man, we're both just really turned on tonight. I have a feeling Naruto had a hand in this, he was smiling like a mad man when he gave us this weed, something 'bout he got it from his mom. Come to think of it, Hinata was smiling too...

Oh well. Not like I'm complaining, and neither was Lil Sasuke, who was growing stiffer and stiffer by the second. "Oh, I can see someone is getting excited down there, maybe we should... _take care_ of that, no?" I think that's a good idea, indeed Sakura.

She stood up, slowly walking over to me and plopping down onto her knees, wiggling my belt undone while I sat there silently, smiling like a maniac. Eventually she got my pants unbuttoned and zipper down, pulling my pants down to my ankles.

I winced when I felt the cold hit my cock, but brushed it off when her hands gripped it. She had kept them warm with hand warmers in her jacket pockets, which was a smart move. Pumping up and down, she wet it with some of her spit, taking my balls in her mouth and sucking on them. I couldn't help but groan at the sensation.

I knew what she was doing, she was warming me up for the whole shebang. I caught the look in her eye that she wanted to go all the way, taking my jacket off and laying it on the concrete floor of the porch and setting my ass down on it, my rock hard cock sticking straight up.

Straddling my waist, she worked her pants down just enough to where she could enter my cock into her, moaning out quietly when she did it. She started rocking her hips up and down, driving my member in and out of her wet and warm pussy.

We made quick work of each other, cumming in unison, me into her and her onto me. Note to self, pray that the pill works. It should, this is some top of the line, state of the art new-age scientifically proven health care bullshit.

You know me, though, I wasn't done. If she thought I was gonna let her get away with taking control, she was sorely mistake. In a moments time she was flipped over onto her knees, her face in the ground. "Did you like being in control momentarily?" I asked stiffly, smiling when she nodded into the ground. "I hope you did, because it's my turn baby girl, think of that as a small Christmas present." She nodded again, moaning into the cold concrete again at the feeling of my cock prodding at her asshole.

Running a finger over it, I wet it with some of my spit and the juices that were still dripping. I grabbed handful of pink locks and slowly slid myself into her until I was all the way in, pulling back on her hair roughly, cranking her head back as I started thrusting in and out of her.

Her tightness mixed with the weed and cold weather drove me to cum inside of her within five minutes, collapsing next to each other in a cold and sweaty heap of hair and clothes. I quickly realized that we were both still exposed, helping her pull her pants up before doing the same with mine.

I noticed her nodding her off, deciding it was best to head inside and get ready for a shower. Scooping her up, I carried her inside and helped her undress, hopping in the steaming hot shower with her, washing off the smell of sex and pot.

When we exited the shower, we heard a pair of voices in the kitchen area, one male and one female voice. I peeked around the corner and who did I see sitting at the bar with my mom drinking coffee?

"Hey son, long time no see."

Son of a bitch, he's back.

* * *

 **TEMARI-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 25th, 12:30 am._

Straight up, this is easily on the list of 'worst weeks of my life'. First my fiancé get's arrested, then brutally tortured by the head of the entire damn interrogation department, followed by my parents and brother not taking the news very well and verbally berating me for hours.

It got so bad I lashed out at them, before taking off and winding up here at this hotel in Konoha near the prison where he was being held. It was the closest I could get to be with him without actually being in jail with him.

Yeah that last option didn't sound too good to me, considering I'm a girl and I'd be separate from him. Still, the words my family said to me hurt me more than they thought, and for the past five days that I've been here there hasn't been a night that I haven't cried myself to sleep.

Thankfully they didn't freeze my accounts, although my brothers tried to get a hold of me to apologize, I haven't answered calls or texts from them. They insist that my mom and dad are sorry for what they said, but I don't believe a damn thing they're saying right now.

What exactly did they say to me that drove me to temporarily run away from them? Well...

 _ **flashback-December 20th, 7:00 pm.**_

I already know what they wanna talk about, so them calling me for a 'family meeting' has made the wonder-about fall away from me. Surely they have some mean words to say, but nothing that I can't take. They've berated me before, it's a chore to me now.

Still, I have to got, not like I have a choice. What I wasn't expecting was my brothers being there too, I know they're not particularly happy with my fiancé, but they had no right to be here while this happens. Unless they're taking part in it, which if they do, I'll never forgive them.

"Hello mother, father." I bowed slightly to them, which was met by two small, almost invisible nods. "Brothers." I nodded to them as well, which was again met by nods that were practically invisible to anyone that didn't know them and their damn nods.

It was a tense quiet for a few minutes as I took my seat in a chair in the living room. "Temari, I am sure you know why I have called this gathering by now." My father said after clearing his throat sharply. I nodded, not wavering under the gaze he gave me.

"Yes, I'm sure you do know, dear. You're a smart girl, usually, but it seems you've fallen upon making some...dreadful mistakes." Yep, here we go. Thanks for kicking things off, ma, you're a real champ for me. I thought girls were supposed to bind together in the gazes of the men that are above us? How poorly mistaken I was.

Honestly, I'm not even in the mood for this, but I can't leave now. "Yeah, I know, can we just get the insults and berating over with so I can go back to being a mistake?"

Woops, didn't mean to mouth off there, but fuck it. "Young lady, you do not talk to me or your mother like that, you understand?" I nodded again. I have a feeling this night is gonna be full of nods and snorts from me. "Now, you're going to sit here and listen to exactly what all of us have to say, including your brothers." Yay, I get to listen to my own brothers degrade me. Fuckin' _fun_.

My mother was first up to bat at me like I was a baseball. "I don't know what's gotten into you, first you go and get pregnant, before marriage of all things!" Yeah, like you weren't a hoe back in the day. "And now you fiancé is a treasonous threat? You have to be kidding me. I'm not sorry to say but I feel as if we failed you, we let you turn into something we never wanted you to be; a whore." Ouch, a whore? Really, says the woman who was pregnant three times before she met my dad.

Kankuro was next, and what he said, well, I never thought he would. "Sister, I hate to say it but mom's right." Thanks, asshole. "Right now you're pretty much nothing more than the type of girls every horny guy chases to get laid, easy." Easy? It's not like I'm sleeping around like, well, you do, ya dick.

Gaara, oh Gaara, I had faith in you, but..."What they said...isn't wrong...I believe you have made choices that are, in a nice way, less than tasteful. Those choices have left a less than desirable taste on not only your name but the family name, one that isn't going to wash off with some soap and water." Well, it wasn't as bad as the others.

But we still haven't gotten to my dad yet. "Daughter, if I even feel like calling you that anymore." He started off blunt and painful as usual. "The tarnishing of the family name is the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. We have worked this name up only for you and your lust and mistake filled choices to drag it through the mud. Right now, you're basically just another occupant of this house, rather than a member of the family that has built it up."

They turned to me, probably shocked that I hadn't cried or anything during the roundtable degradation. "So, basically I'm a treasonous whore who fucked up the family name and now I'm being disowned?" My father went to insult me again for cursing, but I cut him off. "No, I get it, well try _this_ on for size." I stood up from the chair and looked at all of them. "Fuck you, and you, and you, and you. You're no longer family of _mine_. If that is all, I'll take my leave."

I spun on my heel and went to walk before a hand caught my wrist. Turning I looked the person in the eye, before ramming my knee into their crotch.

Poor Kankuro, you'd think he would know not to fuck with a pregnant woman.

 _ **flashback end**_

Everything was downhill from there. My parents eventually realized they fucked up and didn't cut me off from my bank account, but I don't think I can face any of them right now, except for maybe Gaara, he just got looped into it by the other three. He hasn't really ever been able to think for himself.

My cat loving brother, on the other hand, has always been a loudmouth. I swear he acts like he's on crack, meth and cocaine all at once sometimes. Will I go back today for Christmas? Maybe. Right now I'm 'enjoying' my alone time.

And by alone time it's pretty much constant tears. I thought to text Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke or Sakura or anyone but I can't handle their pity right now. I don't blame Sasuke or anyone for this, but I know how it would go when I saw them.

Coddles and pitiful apologies out of guilt. His dad was supposed to be back soon, and so was Shikamaru, apparently. But being released on Christmas day? Nah, that's some bullshit that you see in movies...right?

A knock sounded through the hotel room, grabbing my attention. Who could this be? Maybe they finally cut the money off.

I walked up to the door slowly, peaking through the peephole but only found that someone put a finger over it. "W-who is it?" I asked loudly, getting no answer. Swallowing all of my fear I slowly opened the door, almost falling backwards when I saw who was there.

"S-Shika?" It was like I had saw a ghost. I don't believe in Christmas miracles, but this might just make me a believer. "H-how the hell..." My question trailed off, as he took a step into the room, smiling brightly.

He was smiling, but I know he was struggling not to cry. "Hey princess." When I heard him speak those words to me, I melted into his arms, weeping and sobbing loudly into his chest, soaking him in my tears. I don't think he minded though.

Once my tears subsided, he sat me down on the bed and sat next to me, still smiling as bright as ever. "How did you get our already?" I asked the question that was burning in my head for the past thirty tear filled minutes. I was still leaking tears, but it wasn't as bad as earlier.

Clearing his throat, he began to talk. "Well, once I was released from the prison I was moved to a holding facility two days ago, where a special person was also being held for the time being." Looking at him weird, he laughed. "Fugaku Uchiha." Well no shit, that must have been fun. "So the next two days were spent with us just talking and he thanked me multiple times for doing this and fighting through for him. I was slated for release on the twenty sixth but when he was getting released he threw the biggest adult fit ever, refusing to leave until they released me too." He and I laughed at the thought of Sasuke's dad throwing a fit.

Forty something years old and he threw a fit. "Are you serious?" I asked, laughing even more when he confirmed it.

"And so here I am." He was missing something, though. "Oh yea, I found you rather easily. Fugaku said he saw you over here when he was being transported." The more I think about it, I saw someone that looked like an old Sasuke in a cop car. "Once I described you, he knew who you were instantly.

I made a 'hmm' and put my hand on my chin, in a thinking position. "And how exactly did you describe me, love?" I wasn't trying to stir up trouble, but just have a little joke and fun with him.

His smile returned again, as well as a small chuckle. "Just that you were the most beautiful girl in Suna or Konoha." Good answer, good answer. "But really, just your basic stats, hair color, height, yano?" I nodded. Man, I nod so much you could confuse me for a heroin junkie.

Letting out a strong yawn, he knew it was time for us to get some sleep, as he did his usual, helping me get dressed into the sleepwear I bought at the store yesterday. We laid there for fifteen minutes before I drifted off.

"My parents are gonna be mad I didn't come straight home, but I don't care. Merry Christmas, baby."

"Merry Christmas, Shika-kun."

* * *

 **HIASHI-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 25th, 1:45 am._

I sat here debating whether or not I should've let Hinata spend the night at Naruto's, but I know she will be happier over there right now. I tried to hide the fact that every Christmas I lock myself in my office and drink until I forget that it's even Christmas, and the pass out in bed, only to be woke by Hanabi jumping on me.

Why, you might ask, is a millionaire motor company owner trying to drink himself into a coma? Well the answer is pretty simple. Demons, they need to be drowned, but sadly my demons can't be drowned in any amount of alcohol or old eighties rock and roll.

Cigar smoke was my next attempt, but that wasn't any better. I miss my wife, honestly. I'm trying so damn hard to make her smile down on me by raising her daughters right, and I hope to god I am. Hinata was always shy, but her new friends have instilled in her a confidence that I tried so hard to, but failed.\

Jealous? Kind of, yeah. Happy? Of course. Angry? At what? Her boyfriend? He's done nothing but wonders for her, raising her up on a pedestal that she deserves to be on, I have seen the way he looks at her and it makes me smile internally to know that she has someone that loves her besides me and Hanabi. Neji would've once filled that void, but...yeah, there's another thing.

My brother, his father, took the damn bullets for me. I keep asking myself why he would do that, but then realized I would've done the same thing had I been in that position myself. Why? Well, because greater love and all that stuff.

Neji, I know he still blames me, but he knows deep down that it wasn't either of our faults, and that he needs to let go. I fear that it's too far to come to a full restoration of our former family relationship, but I can at least try, right?

Hanabi is turning into a thirteen year old troublemaker. Her and her damn curiosity is starting to kill me, though. Questions about life and this and that, sex is the one I'm trying to avoid the most. Hinata I don't have to worry about, she's a smart girl that won't do anything stupid. At least, I want to believe that.

I've been pressured into trying to find love again, but I just can't bring myself to love another woman, Hana was the only one for me. At least I'm telling myself that. Bah, if I feel like it I might try again, but who knows when that could be?

All of this just goes to show that no matter how much money you have, death can still strike you. Death knows no monetary amounts or earthly treasures, only time in and of itself. Look at me, getting all poetic and prophetical, what a shame. My wife, gone, brother with her and dear nephew resents me and the rest of us.

Why is it, then, that my phone buzzed with a text. The only people that would text me would be Kushina, Mikoto, and Hinata, maybe Hanabi, but never this late. Admittedly I was shocked to see that is was Neji who had texted.

 _"Uncle Hiashi, after a long talk me and Ten-Ten have decided that it's time me and you reconcile and reconnect. What time would you, Hinata and Hanabi be willing to have us over? Also, as an apology in advance, my phone may send this text at a random time, something about a cell tower being down and scrambling texts and signals-Neji."_

A smile grew onto my face as I texted him back. 'We'll be having dinner at six pm, thank you for the text. And yes, I received this at a random time, it's completely fine."

Eyeing the bottle of scotch sitting on my desk, I shook my head, stowing it back into my desk drawer.

It can wait for another day.

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV**

* * *

 _December 25th, 1:00 am._

Admittedly I was surprised when Minato agreed to sit in the garage with me while I smoked and played my guitar. He was never big on weed, never really liked the smell or some of the effects it had on you. Personally I think he's just a silly nanny, but...

 _Mary, did you know? That your baby boy, will one day walk on water. Mary, did you know? That your baby boy, will save our sons and daughters._

I started the song, softly and quietly, letting the words cascade from my mouth and into the garage, in perfect harmony with the guitar I was strumming on, making a sweet and gentle melody.

 _Did you know, that your baby boy, has come to make you new? This child that you've delivered, will son deliver you._

My thoughts were instantly bombarded by thoughts and images of Naruto, Minato and Hinata, the makeshift family we've formed and molded. Hinata still had Hiashi, but me, Hiashi and Minato go way back already anyways, we went to the same college and now we both own businesses while Minato runs the whole damn village.

 _Mary, did you know? That your baby boy, will give sight to a blind man. Mary, did you know? That your baby boy, will calm the storm with his hand?_

It was at this time that Minato started humming along to the song in a bass tone, which normally would've thrown me off had it not fit so perfectly. I gave him the look, but this time it read to keep doing what he was doing instead of stopping.

 _Did you know, that your baby boy, has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God._

Okay, I couldn't help but smile at the thought of my little Naruto being a 'god'. God of laziness, maybe. No, that title belongs to Shikamaru. Boy has no energy to do anything besides, well...he does take care of Temari, I'll give 'im that much. Sucks he won't be out in time for Christmas.

 _Oh, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dead will live again. The lame will leap, the dumb will speak, the praises of the lamb._

That part I always sung with power, it's a triumphant part of the song before it slows down again into the soothing ballad that we all know and love.

 _Mary, did you know? That your baby boy, is lord of all creation. Mary, did you know? That your baby boy, will one day rule the nations._

 _Did you know, that your baby boy, is heavens perfect lamb? The sleeping child you're holding, is the great I am._

After the third verse I launched straight into the ending, holding out the last two words for a little bit each, finishing off the strumming pattern and letting it ring out into the garage. It was quiet in here for the next few minutes.

"You know, I always did love your singing." Minato's cool voice broke the silence, like a hot knife through butter. "It's a shame you didn't pick up the guitar until you were in your twenties and just took over the company, or you'd've had a chance at being a musician full time. Would you have liked that?" I honestly don't know, I love music a lot but I couldn't be on the road twenty four seven.

I have to face the fact that I really am a homebody. A weed smokin', gun ownin', moanin' an groanin' son of a gun. "Probably not, I enjoy being home a lot and being around friends and family, yano?" I asked him, getting a nod from him as I lit up another weed filled cigar.

His face scrunched up when the smell hit him, waving the smoke away from him. "You know, if anyone finds out my baby momma is a weed smoker then my image can be ruined, right?" He said, in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

At that I couldn't help but let out a snort and a chuckle, exhaling the smoke slowly for effect. "Image? Ruined? Psh, the public fuckin' loves you, Minato, like they would really give a flying fuck, they'd just hate on me." It was true. He has the highest civilian approval rate of any previous Hokage, and even bigger among the military population.

Looking over, I saw his smiling face turn serious really quick, which meant this was going to get boring. "Kushina-hime, what are we?" Huh? I looked at him questioningly, getting ready to make a smart response before he cut me off. "I mean, this relationship, what is it? Are we friends? Lovers? A couple?"

Huh, to be honest I hadn't thought about that too much. "Minato...I just don't know. I feel the love for you like I used to feel, and the sex is good too..." I threw that last bit in there to get a laugh from him and loosen the tension in the situation but failed, his face still serious. Sighing, I continued. "I just don't know. I still love you, I really do, I'm just trying to make sure this exactly what I want, what we _both_ want." I need some stronger weed for this shit.

This wasn't going to get any better, I already knew that. "I know what I want, and it's always what I wanted; you, Kushina, I've always wanted you and I will _always_ want you. Even if you left me, I still want you." Always? You're meaning to tell me...

"So when I left, you didn't chase anyone else, never got into any relationships or slept with anyone else?" With a shake of his head, my heart softened in sadness and regret, this man truly did save himself just for me. "Mina...we can try, I'm not going to promise you it'll all be perfect and hunky-dory, but we can try."

The smile he wore on his face instantly warmed my heart.

Merry Christmas, Minato-kun.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 25th, 9:00 am._

Man, I _really_ should've tried texting or calling my parents once I got out of jail. My dad won't flip out, but I swear my mom is going to kill me dead. Kaput, gone, sayonara, see ya later, bye, adios, _dead_. And here I thought Temari was going to kill me.

Although I'm about ready to kill my fiancée's "family", namely her brothers. So much for being their sister's protector. Gaara is gonna get a pass in my opinion, the poor boy probably had no choice but to join her mom, dad and brother or be in the same boat as Temari is; scorned, hated and disowned.

Sure, she didn't _have_ to leave, but I sure as hell wouldn't have stayed in that house after being talked to like that. I'm still surprised I managed to get out of that jail cell in time to be home with my family and fiancée. Fugaku was an absolute beast in that jail, a real frightening man.

 _ **flashback-December 24th, 10:45 pm.**_

"Ya know kid, I gotta thank you again for what you did for me and my family." Fugaku thanked me for what must have been the hundredth time in the past two days. It was nothing to me, really, but it meant the world to him.

I waved off the apology, saying the same shtick I usually say. "It's nothing, really, I'm just hoping I get back to my love and family soon, but it's looking like it won't be that way until at least the day after Christmas." I doubt they'd be releasing any of us on the night before Christmas.

But I was wrong, naturally, when a guard came to the cell holding me and Fugaku thirty minutes later. "Fugaku Uchiha, stand, you are slated to be released right now." Wait, just him? But what about me? Am I, like, chopped liver or summin like that?

Fugaku stood, looking at the guard dead in the eye. "What about Shikamaru here? He's the reason I got released from the military, and I'm not leaving until I'm the reason he gets released in time for Christmas." He crossed his arms, sporting an angry, pissed off look on his face. I, for one, wouldn't fuck with the man right now.

The guard must've been feeling ballsy, 'cuz he stood his ground firm. "Either you're leaving, or we're dragging you out of here. He's not supposed to be released until the day after Christmas." See, I knew it. Do I get points for guessing right?

"Come in here and try to drag me out and you'll be sorely disappointed in the results." Mustering up all the balls the guard could, he opened the cell, making it a few feet into the cell before he found himself on the ground, arm pinned behind his back and face into the cold, hard concrete, grunting in frustration. "Son, you look to be half my age so I'll go easy on you, we're both going, ya heard?"

Another guard heard the tussle and called in two extra guards, one of them being the warden of this unit. "Sir, I have to ask that you release my guard immediately."

He didn't budge, pushing the pinned guards arm up a bit more, to the point of breaking. "Nope, you either release both of us, or this man is walking out with a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder. And don't think I won't do it, _sir_ " The warden, sporting a panicked look on his face, mumbled incoherently and walked off, the other two in tow.

About fifteen minutes later he returned, two pieces of paper in his hand. "Look, here's both of your release papers, sign them and get the hell out of my jail." He thrusted the paper into my hand with a pen, watching me smile as I happily signed the release form.

After Fugaku signed his, we were both taken to gather our belongings, which for me was my phone and wallet, plus my street clothes and shoes. It was the same for Fugaku, who gave me a strong smile and an even stronger handshake. "I'll see you sometime, Shikamaru." He said before taking off in the taxi that was waiting outside for any fresh release's.

While he shook my hand, he had put a piece of paper in my hand that read 'Marion Hotel, eighty two thirty Marion lane, room four fifty five. That's where I saw your fiancée at, good luck my newfound friend.'

Smiling, I got in another waiting taxi, heading off towards where I was hoping my lover would be.

 _ **flashback end**_

And the rest was history, as they say. Now, we're sitting outside my front door, getting ready to knock. I took Temari's hand in mine, squeezing it gently as I knocked on the door strongly. Hearing footsteps, I took a step back from the door.

"Who is it-Shika?" My father swung the door open, finding me and Temari, plus her bag of clothes and car parked out front, waiting in the cold. "W-when did you get out? It couldn't have been last night, right?" I shook my head, which was acknowledged with a strong nod.

We walked in after being waved in. "Where's mom, I'm ready to get my murder over with." All of us chuckled in unison. He pointed to the living room. My mom was sitting on a couch, her back to me.

She was on her phone, texting somebody when she hollered over her shoulder. "Shikaku, who was at the door?" I walked up to her, putting my hands over her eyes, making her jump in surprise at the deprivation of sight.

"A dumbass, mom." I chuckled out as she threw my hands down, turning to look at me, tears forming in her eyes. It only took her a second to be around that couch, before she wrapped me up in a tight hug, crying into my shoulder. That lasted all of ten seconds before she stepped back, slapping me across the face. "Ouch, okay, I definitely had that coming, ma."

Her face read anger, sadness, but an overwhelming amount of joy. "Well, you certainly did, son." She said in the strongest voice she could manage. "I expect you to tell me why, how and what you did. All of this over lunch. As of now, though, you have dishes to wash and food to help me cook." Joy.

But I was home, and that's all that mattered. "Yes ma'am." I said through a grin, a contagious one that overtook everyone in the house. "And merry Christmas mom, dad."

"Merry Christmas, Shika-kun, now you look tired Temari, you don't have to worry about doing anything, your fiancé will take care of that. Sit, sit."

"Sorry, baby, but you heard the lady."

Ah whatever, it won't be _that_ bad.

* * *

 _2:45 pm._

Well, that wouldn't be the first time I was wrong recently. She worked my ass to the motherfucking bone. Dishes, cooking, baking, cleaning, setting up. We had some of my cousins, aunts and uncles over, none of whom knew about my stint in jail nor did they dare bring it up. They knew how scary my mom could get.

They had just left, and left me, my parents and Temari sitting in the living room, dishes cleaned and the tables put up. "So, I suppose you guys are ready for a full story, huh?" Twas a question that needn't be asked, but I asked it anyways because...reasons.

At the nods I received, I grimaced. Even Temari was sitting idly by, sipping a cup of wassail and smiling. "Well okay then..." This was going to be fun. I started the story, with the initial robbery of the file, to the park situation, onto Suna, and then getting arrested. This is where things got a bit, well, difficult.

My dad knew it too, he saw me in that cell, covered in my own blood, broken in what was practically two pieces; one that wanted to give in and cry like a bitch to Anko, and the other wanting to stay strong and stiff, keeping my mouth shut and not spilling a single bit. I couldn't face telling them what I went through, no matter how many looks and pokes and prods I got.

"Look, Yoshino, what he went through with Anko isn't something many people make it through sane, let alone a free person, so if he doesn't want to talk, I am not gonna sit here and pressure him." Thanks dad. I received his 'sorry' look with an appreciative nod. "I saw him in there, love, he isn't ready to talk about it, not to us at least."

His tone was soft, sorrowful and sad, but meaningful to me nonetheless. "I promise you guys, I'll talk about it soon, but for now...I...I just can't..." I trailed off, warding off the flashbacks to what I went through, trying not to go back into my recluse mental state.

The next hour or so was quiet, until it was time to text Naruto and them. That's gonna be fun.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 25th, 3:30 pm._

"Nani? Shikamaru got out of prison last night!?" I exclaimed, admittedly loudly, but I didn't really care. My best friend, one who had just went through five days of hell, got out of jail last night. The news came in the form of a long, explanatory text sent to me, Sasuke/Sakura and Ino/Asuka.

 _"Hey guys, you're probably wondering how I'm texting you. Well, I was released from Konoha jail last night (thank Minato-san for me, Naruto) at midnight alongside Fugaku, who is my 'newfound friend' (thank him for me again, Sasuke). Now I didn't go straight home (and trust me, my mom murdered me for it when I_ did _go home this morning at like nine am, instead I went to Temari, which I knew about where she was thanks to Fugaku, again. I know you all have a bunch of questions that you want answered, and I will attend to them all IN PERSON, you know I already hate texting a ton, so if you want we can meet up at nine pm tonight, Clancy's diner. With love, no homo, Shikamaru."_

Nice touch with the no homo, Shika, like we'd be worried about you being gay right now. You are, after all, engaged to Temari. "Hey dad, Shika said thanks again!" I yelled to my dad, who was in the kitchen washing dishes, while I was cleaning up the dining room.

"I knew he'd be released last night with Fugaku, that man can be stubborn as hell when he wants!" I got yelled back at from the kitchen. "Kushina! Shikamaru _did_ get let go last night after all!" He yelled to my mom, who was...sitting in the living room with my girlfriend. Lazy motherfu...

Wait, was I really the only one to not expect this besides Hinata? "Ha, I knew it! Fugaku-san seemed like the kind of person to do something like that!" Hinata yelled from the couch. So it seems I was, indeed, the only one to not expect this.

I sighed, continuing on with what I was doing. Time passed until it hit five fifteen, when me and Hinata headed out to her house, to eat dinner with her dad and sister.

If you know anything about our lives, that's not _exactly_ how things went. "Ano, what's Neji-nii's car doing here..." Hinata muttered out, spotting the crossover SUV her now estranged cousin drives. I had seen it a few times at school so I recognized it too.

Then again, it could be just any car. We got out, walking up to the door and opening it, heading inside and into the kitchen, where her dad was. "Ah, Hinata, Naruto, glad you could make it." He spoke politely, shaking my hand and hugging Hinata before finishing up what he was doing.

We stood around for the five minutes it took him to pull the ham from the oven and plate the mashed potatoes, rolls and stuffing. He really knew how to cook, huh? I guess you gotta pick up on it. "Ne, Hiashi-san, is there any reason a car is outside that looks quite similar to Neji's car?" I had to ask, it was bugging the hell outta me.

He just smiled, gesturing to the dining room, which was closed off by doors. Me and Hinata made our way over there, slowly opening the doors. And there he was, the man we call Neji Hyuuga, sitting there at the table conversing with Hanabi and Ten-Ten.

At the sound of us opening the door, he looked towards us and smiled. "Hinata, it's been a long time since we've ate at the same table, no?" His words made Hinata go pale, well, as pale as she could get considering she was already pale.

"N-Neji-Nii..." Her words trailed off, as her eyes misted over. Standing, he walked towards her and engulfed her in a hug, giving me a look that said 'give me a minute and I'll explain'. I allowed them their moment, before it broke off suddenly.

Over dinner he explained everything to us, Hiashi included. "I know I've been, for a lack of a better word, asshole over the past years since the passing of my father, your uncle Hizashi, Hinata, I came to understand that it wasn't your fault, nor yours uncle Hiashi." His apology was genuine, I could tell, but it still left a question open that needs to be answered.

"Er, if you don't mind me asking, what made you come to that conclusion?" I asked tentatively, trying not to anger anyone in the room.

With a smile he nodded to me. "You may ask, it's ok, and as to what, well, as you know I've been living off of the inheritance left from my dad, which has made it possible for me to live on my own for the past two years. A few nights ago I was sitting in the living room of my apartment and I had an...epiphany of sorts."

He paused to cough for a second, clearing his throat. "Everyone I knew had family there for them no matter what had happened, and after searching through my mind I realized I was being selfish in my actions of cutting off myself from the family I was raised in."

It was an understandable and acceptable answer. Dinner went smoothly after that, and soon it was eight thirty, where we found ourselves heading towards the diner that Shikamaru wanted us to meet at. We got there right at nine, finding Sasuke, Sakura, Ino and Asuka waiting for us with him.

I hugged Shikamaru, noticing him wince a little bit when I clapped a hand against his back, but brushed it off. Me and Hinata took our seats at the booth, I grabbed her hand under the table and rubbed it, smiling at her.

With a deep breath, Shikamaru started to speak.

"So, this is pretty much what happened to me while I was incarcerated in Konoha jail as prisoner #00341276..." He had a tremble in his voice, barely noticeable, but we still did notice. We're friends, that's what we do, we notice.

That's when he stood up, lifting his shirt and showing us the still healing cuts, burns and bruises that littered his chest and back.

"What...the fuck..." I breathed out, squeezing Hinata's hand harder than before.

"Dude..." Was all Sasuke could manage to get out, before doing the same as me but with Sakura.

Asuka and Ino just stared sadly, holding each others hands.

Temari had a sad look on her face, but she must have already known, or she would've flipped out just about now.

"Yeah...never fuck with Anko Mitarashi..."

This was about to be a fun conversation.

* * *

 **A/N:** Holy hell, 11k words not including the notes, not bad for me. I know I said I wasn't going to do a lot of lemons, and I didn't, but there had to be a few in this chapter, it is Christmas, after all. But with the return of Fugaku and Shikamaru, how are things going to play out? Well, you'll have to find out when I release my next chapter, which will be next week as usual. We've made it through Christmas, almost, so now it'll be on to the new year and new things happening with the couples and some more characters introduced, so expect these chapters to get longer and more, well, interesting. At least that's what I'm aiming for. But for now, please review, follow and favorite and get ready for some more Wrong Path! Ja ne!


	16. The Winner Takes It All

**A/N:** Hey! We made it to the new year! Sixteen chapters and what is now close to 150k words and man I have to say I'm so thankful to anyone who has read this story, and even more thankful to anyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed. I know it's not the best story, so it really does mean a lot if you read it and keep up with it, watching it evolve into what it is now.

So soon, we'll be entering part two of the story, which will kick in close to valentines day (if it isn't actually on valentines day), giving this a month time skip, which is much needed after what's happened thus far in this part. I don't plan on stopping _at all_ , not until I've finished the story. Which I don't know when I'll actually be done with it, but I know it won't be until they graduate, which then I may start a new story to be a sequel to it!

I've had the biggest plans for this, so thank you to anyone who has enjoyed it. As usual I'm open to any new ideas, please review! I love seeing what you guys have to say about this! Without further ado, here is the end to part 1 of Wrong Path- **The Winner Takes It All-Finale**!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any character (except Asuka, she's all mine!) nor do I own any of the lyrics used in this chapter, those belong to Filter, Bush, Journey and ABBA, respectively.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV**

* * *

 _December 25th, 9:05 pm._

I read the faces of the group of friends that sat in front of me. Thankfully this diner had only a cook and two servers, and they were all out back getting stoned anyways. From what I've heard they eat free here, so I don't exactly blame em for getting high and chowing down. As a matter of fact, I kinda told em to, so we could have that moment.

Their faces read a mix of emotions, mainly sadness and anger, sad for what happened and angry at what I had to got through. I sighed deeply, rubbing my eyes. "Guys, I know you're sad and angry, but there's nothing we can do about what happened. I just figured you would wanna know."

Man, the air in this room felt stale, like it needed new life breathed into it. "Ano, Shikamaru-kun, could you tell exactly _what_ happened, and what led to this?" Hinata timidly had asked, drawing the attention to her, before it was brought back to me.

"I...I can tell you most of it, but not all of it." Most of it if they don't interrupt me, that is. I decided to recant the heroic journey of how I stole the file, evaded the police, broke into the defense mainframe, robbed them of the files, left the scene for Suna, left Suna and then subsequently got arrested, ending up in the possession of one Anko Mitarashi, where I was, well, interrogated.

Throughout all of this I had barely noticed Sasuke's soft look on his face or Temari's hand gripping mine intently. Three and a half months along and she's already practicing her labor hand grip of doom, man. So much for masturbation. "The cuts, the bruises, the burns, they were all from Anko?" Asuka had asked, kind of timidly, but out of respect.

With a nod I confirmed her thoughts, and we were silent for a few more minutes before any words were spoken again. "So..." Naruto had began, trailing off and dragging out the word he spoke. "How was your Christmas then? I know jail sucked, but at least your Christmas was fine, right?" I smiled at him, silently thanking him for not asking any more questions about me.

Honestly, in spite of everything that's happened, this was probably the best Christmas I've had ever, and it seemed like a good one for everyone else. Naruto spent time with Hinata and his family before going to her house, where Neji was waiting there, apology in mouth. That's always a good thing.

Sasuke and Sakura spent their time together, getting high and hanging out before finding out Fugaku was there. Then they spent time drinking apple cider and eating cookies.

Ino and Asuka did what everyone else did, in a sense, hanging out and eating with Ino's parents. It seemed boring, but the most important thing is that is was a _relaxed_ day, one void of a lot of sad drama and hate. We've needed this kind of time together as friends and family to celebrate, relax and just have a good time.

Even this time in the diner that we're spending together is heaven on earth to me. We sat around and ate pie, sipping coffee and swapping stories of what we got for Christmas like we were ten again playing on the playground.

I think the best thing I got this year was clothes. Funny, you hated them when you were younger, but when you grow up you realize how good it feels having and keeping a fly wardrobe. I've been mentally cursing myself, I never got Temari her present before, well, you know. She insists I'm a good enough present for her, but she deserves way more than just my presence.

It was basically the same for everyone, the girls got their clothes, perfume, whatever bullshit they wanted. Naruto got some games, a new recording program for his laptop, and Sasuke got some random bullshit. It was all good, great really, but we've been more focused on each other. Our friendship, and seeing each other.

All I want right now is to sleep in my bed next to my pigtailed lover and sleep for the next thirty days, soaking in all the love I missed when I was away. Plus I might as well get some extra love just for the hell of it. I can never get enough of her love, and she can never get enough of mine. At least, that's what I hope.

But I had more surprises for the guys. Something that even me and Temari haven't talked about. It's something that I've had a few days to think about, but still can't seem to find the correct choice for. Mainly because it's a huge change in my life.

I decided to let them order a round of dessert and coffee before dropping this on them, it's the least I could do. Let em enjoy dessert before we close off the night.

Clearing my throat I made sure they were all done with their snacks of choice before I spoke. "Guys, there's one more thing I need to talk to all of y'all about before we leave this place." Temari looked at me with a confused face. "Temari, I'm sorry I didn't think to talk to you about this beforehand." I gave her a sad but soft smile, running my hand over her hand.

Hurt and confusion were evident on the look on her face, which turned into a small, genuine, understanding smile. "It's ok, Shika-kun, if you didn't talk to me about it before then it must be something really important." This woman knows me better than I know myself sometimes. She knows I don't hide things from her, ever.

This was the moment I've been dreading, though. "Okay, so while I was jailed, the hour before they moved me to a release tank Anko and Ibiki came to visit me." I can tell everyone's already confused. "No, not to put me through hell again, but they had a... _offer_...for me." Yeah, you heard me right, the two most fearsome motherfuckers in the region had an offer for me.

Stifling their questions with my raised hand, I waited for the quiet to continue. "Apparently I impressed them so much that they offered me an internship in the I&T division starting next semester, our senior year. A _paid_ internship, from the Konoha military budget." I had to add that last part, mainly because those are paid _heftily_.

Money, something that would help me moving forward. Help me pay for the wedding, getting us our own place, stuff like that. It's an offer that I really couldn't turn down, not until I've really thought it over. And trust me, I've really thought this over, _really really_.

The boys questions were all just stupid, as usual, and the only one who had a good question was Ino. "Ne, so what makes you want to take this offer? I mean, how does it help out you _and_ Temari? Not to mention the baby." It was the question I knew Temari wanted to ask, but the look she gave me said it all.

I smiled at Ino a little. "Well, I'm actually glad you asked. Pretty much the gist of it is it's a paying job, good enough for me to support both of us on my own." I knew there was the inevitable question of how much the pay was. "Basically just the internship pay is more than enough, that's all I can say to y'all, but if I took the full job?"

Yeah, let's just leave it there. "It's a tough choice, considering I would be doing school eight to noon, and then going straight to the internship working noon to five." Stiff ass hours, sure, but was it worth it? I honestly don't know.

The notion was met with denial and acceptance, fluctuating when someone else brought up a new point. I looked towards the still quiet Temari, who just smiled and kissed me, laughing a bit. "Take it, Shika-kun, you know we'll be here for you no matter what, and it really would help." She said, quiet as a church mouse, her words going silent to everyone else in the group.

Honestly they'd just have to get over it anyways, they don't have much of an option.

I need to smoke some damn weed.

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 31st, 1:00 pm._

It was that time of the year again, time for the end of the year festival and carnival they always held in midtown Konoha. Rides, games, carnival food, fireworks, the shebang was rolled out to end the year and welcome in the new year. Me and Asuka decided to use this as a date, leaving my mom and dad to have their own date.

Ever since Shika's decision, things have been a bit more tense in the group of friends, but I think it's just boys being boys. Sakura thinks otherwise, saying that she knows the boys, and the way they're treating each other right now has been the shittiest they've ever actually treated each other.

Which really doesn't help the fact that they have a show tonight, playing a side stage at the festival. I was surprised to hear they got offered the last minute show, and even more surprised that they took the show. Maybe all they need is a show like this to vent out anger and frustration and get over it. Or maybe they blow it on stage and yell at each other, minus Hinata, the quiet mouse.

Still, it's saddening to see their bonds being stretched and tested like this, I know how close they've all been since, shit, since I can even remember.

So for something as simple as a life choice to break them up, well, that's fuckin' stupid. I know they're just worried about the dude, but being like this and acting like this isn't gonna help anything, this coming from me, the former gossip queen bitch from Kono High.

"Asuka, baby, do you know what you're wearing yet?" I hollered at the dressing woman in the restroom across the hall from my room. She came walking into my room stark naked and fresh from the shower. "Obviously not." Laughing a bit, I saw her head to the closet. Thank god my parents left already.

She ended up picking out a pair of black skinny jeans, full calf black boots with a two inch heel, lace all the way up, and a long sleeved dark red sweater on top. "So, how do I look for my first festival?" The question came with an innocent, devilish look from her.

Smiling, I kissed her on her bottom quivering lip. "Dashing, love." What she wore contrasted against my light blue jeans, all black full calf converse "boots" and deep purple sweater. Tying my hair into a long single ponytail I was ready to go, giving her a little spin. "What about me?" Likewise, I laced my question with lust, innocence and a dash of sexiness.

We headed out of the door, driving off in my car towards the main village fairgrounds where this was all being held. It started at eight this morning, so hopefully some of the initial first wave traffic should be gone.

I was right, we reached the place in almost thirty minutes, down from what coulda been at least an hour, maybe two. Finding parking was something different, though. Or at least finding parking that wouldn't cost us an arm, leg and head. Most of it was twenty bucks and up.

Eventually we settled on a small, well protected lot near the fairgrounds for twenty five. "Ugh, I can't stand price gougers, especially in this cold weather." It was pretty cold outside today, Asuka. It was a bitter thirty degrees, but with clear skies and a bright sun out it wasn't _too_ bad. At least, not to me.

Wrapping my arm around her waist, I gave her ass a pinch, making her jump. "Ne, you know I'm a cold hearted woman, so I'm used to it." I grinned at the flushed, blushing woman next to me. She caught me off guard with a deep kiss, pressing her lips firmly into mine.

A long kiss, one of my favorites, that only ended when we heard a loud wolf whistle and some cat calls from behind us. "Yeah girl, get it!" Some random dude and his buddies were yelling at us from the tailgate of their truck. We tried to ignore them, but they kept harassing us as we tried to share a moment. "Ah come on, you're not gonna let us join in on the fun?"

Yeah no, that happening has a snowballs chance in hell. "Excuse me, but could you three leave the two girls alone, it is quite rude to be prudish like you are." A calm, cool an collected voice came from in front of them. It was a dude dressed in a pair of sneakers, black sweatpants, green long sleeved sweater and he was sporting a bowl cut.

Rock Lee was known to be a gentleman to girls, regardless of whether or not they were friends. "Ha, as if, move along pipsqueak before we crush you." Oof, not the thing you wanna say to him. Within a minute they were all on the ground, groaning and moaning in pain.

Our savior came strutting up to us, pausing before us to bow and flash us a grin. "Ohayo, Rock Lee here to inform you that they will be no problem to you two beautiful ladies for the rest of the day." We couldn't help but giggle at his antics and theatrics.

As if we read each others minds we both leaned in and planted a kiss on either side of his cheek, making him blush a blush that made tomatoes feel jealous. "Why thank you, Mr. Lee, you have me and my beautiful girlfriends eternal thanks." I spoke sweetly, my smile never faltering.

He tried to stutter out another statement, but ended up just bowing again before taking off into the fairgrounds at a brisk pace.

Despite the interruption we made it into the park by two, examining the sights and smells surrounding us. "Wow, it really is nice for my first festival like this." Asuka spoke under her breath, her eyes lighting up at what we saw.

What we saw was truly awesome. A sea of people talking, multiple food stands with every type of food imaginable, from southern food, to ramen (poor Hinata), there was a ton of dessert stands, drink vendors and the like.

The rides were basic, a Ferris Wheel, children's rollercoasters, the usual. A funky house was there among a ton of photo booths and vendors selling anything from jewelry to clothes and other various accessories.

All of this was complimented by the buzz and feeling, accentuated by the music that was playing in the background. Even if it was just some plain warm jazz music and shit it really made the whole festival feel just that much more warm, and trust me, it needed to feel more warm. Through all of the bitter cold weather we quickly found our way to the hot chocolate stand and got us a tall one each.

With a smile, I took Asuka's hand in mine, and we were off into the festival grounds.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 31st, 1:45 pm._

We showed up at the fairgrounds just long enough for Naruto to unload his gear into their slotted spot, before leaving again, heading to the corner store real quick to get wraps for our pot. I'm not upset by that at all, but more by the way Sasuke, Shikamaru and him have been treating each other the past week.

They've been avoiding each other at all costs, only talking when it came to booking this show. Naruto has been frustrated all week today, sometimes taking out his frustration on me, before quickly realizing he fucked up and apologizing. Its getting old, though. Really fucking quick.

I slid out of the car, heading into the corner store to pick up the stuff, getting out of the mess that was that corner store as quick as possible. It was a busy day for a lot of the Konoha population, a lot of people attended the new years eve festivities in the park, not the entire village but a lot of people still came.

Not the people that want to beat the cold, of course, we like to call those people bitches. Unless they're young, old, or have disorders.

Some people just can't stand the cold, which begs the question of 'why the hell do you live in Konoha then?'. Once more I can understand if you have no other option but to live here, but if you have the option yet still choose to live here and bitch about the cold, expect me to look at you weird and make fun of you. That's like setting yourself on fire and complaining that you're hot.

Okay, rant over. "Lets get outta here, it's like a damn madhouse in that place." Without a word we were off, heading to a safe spot in our parking lot to sit and roll this shit up without getting caught by any law. Not that they'd care, they're lax as hell on days like this, worrying more about any hard drugs or shit that'll disturb the fest.

Mainly whatever protesters decide to protest whatever they're mad about at one of the most inconvenient times for everyone else. This is supposed to be a peaceful festival but there seems to be a bunch of stress and hate circling around us like vultures, just waiting for one of us to snap before it jumps in.

Our system was sound, one of us ground up the stuff while the other broke the blunt wraps open, dumping the tobacco out of em before passing them on to whichever of us was rolling up that time. This time it was me.

For the next hour we sat in his truck hot boxing it up and getting higher than all hell. Once we did, everything went from being shit to, well, fine.

After airing out for a minute and smoking a cigarette, we headed back into the park, observing everything around us and mainly looking for the food, of course. Their set was at eight, so we had almost four hours to piss off before we have to head towards the stage.

"Ne, Hinata-chan, are you okay?" Ugh, I hated the question 'are you okay?'. I haven't done anything to imply that I wasn't other than be a bit bitter at the way my best friends have been treating each other. Sakura and Temari have done their best, but nothing we try can get them to get over their problems.

But I just looked at him and smiled, trying to enjoy being in his company. I still loved this man, after all. "Yeah, I'm okay Naruto-kun, just a little tired." It wasn't a lie, I tried to sleep last night, but to no avail.

I can't bring myself to tell him it's because of him, to be honest. "Oh, okay, I figured you were a little tired." Chyeh, good guess, I was yawning all day. I keep forgetting I have to share a stage with him and the others.

Honestly that's one of the biggest things I'm stressing about, if they blow this because of some bullshit problems I will be pissed. "Do you wanna eat real quick? We can go look around afterwards." I knew he'd agree to that, settling on a vendor selling burgers and shit.

We ate quietly, not disturbing each other from the meal we were eating. When we finished, we had what one would call a stereotypical couples day at a festival. Yano, the man wins the girl some prizes at the booths, buys her some stuff, we ate dessert, whatever.

Overall I would've enjoyed this day a whole hell of a lot more had there not been an air of stress hanging over us.

Why can't we have nice things in this world? Who knows. Naruto went to use the restroom, leaving me sitting on a picnic table by myself. "Hey stranger." A voice said from behind me. I turned to face the person, turning out to be Sakura.

I found my smile when I saw her, warming up a bit more than before. "Hey, where's Sasuke?" It was a good question, that dude loved being up her ass in public situations like these, making sure no one hurt her or anything. Whatever, it's your typical man shit.

She just shrugged, waving off into the crowd. "I told him to go get us a funnel cake at a place with a ridiculously long line while I 'used the restroom'. God I needed my space from that dude. Where's your boy toy?" Makes sense. I knew she'd ditch him eventually.

Pointing to the restroom, she laughed a little bit. "Restroom. If they saw us fraternizing they'd be so mad. Whatever crawled up their asses I'm about to rip it out myself, and it _will_ hurt, yano?" We shared a good laugh at that, wiping a tear of joy from our eyes.

It was the first time we had the chance to do that together since Christmas. "Ah yeah, I know, I might just join you in that venture. Hopefully everything get's figured out soon, I hate seeing them like this..." She trailed off, a sad look on her face.

Sighing, I hugged her and pulled her into me. "I know, 'Kura-chan." I sighed out an accepting and understanding statement. "Maybe...maybe we should've just went gay for each other and started an orgy with Ino and Asuka." Looking at her, I burst out in laughter at the blush on her face.

"H-hey! Don't tempt me, 'Nata-chan." Punching my arm gently, she joined me in laughter. It was cut short when I spotted Naruto leaving the restroom, frowning.

Saying our goodbyes she quickly exited, bright pink hair covered by a beanie and hoodie hood. "Hey Hina, ready to keep going?" I figured he'd be recharged by that trip, ready to keep going for hours and hours.

Forcing a smile on my face, I nodded, taking his hand in mine and bounding off into the crowd of people again.

* * *

 _7:30 pm._

Time passed really quickly once I realized what was about to happen and how _huge_ this crowd was compared to the club show. The band before us just finished their set and was quickly unloading, leaving us almost thirty minutes to get loaded in and soundchecked.

Thirty minutes until we made it or fucked up. We ignored each other for the most part, just taking care of our own stuff, only talking when we needed to ask an important question about where stuff was.

And then it dawned on me, we didn't have a setlist down. I looked for the other members of our quartet hardcore band, only to find them already disputing it.

Ah fuck me. This is gonna be fun to break up. "I just think that we should play...no...why would we do...but..." I tried to cut in, but was quickly drowned out by their bitching, whining and moaning about what songs we should play.

Fifteen minutes now. They resorted to taking chops at each other, insulting each other very unlike their normal insults. A tear cascaded down my face as I joined the other two girls who were there. "I don't know if we're gonna be able to do this, guys..." I trailed off.

Temari sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do. She was supposed to be taking it easy anyways, docs orders. "Hinata, I know this is unlike you, but sometimes you need to get pissed off and lay down the fucking law." Sakura spoke into my ear, just loud enough for me and the blonde haired pregnant lady to hear.

The aforementioned pregnant girl nodded in agreement. "I agree, you need to tap into that anger and fuck them up. Go, we have your back. Your just as much a part of this as they are hun."

Get...angry? This, this really doesn't compute. I can try. Once I rejoined the huddle, all eyes were on me. "Well, what empowering thing did the girls have to say? I know how you girls do it." The tone Naruto spoke in made me, well, angry! Something I haven't felt in god knows how long.

That's it, Hinata, tap into it. "You! Shut the fuck up!" I yelled at him, surprising him before turning to the other two. "Same for you two! We're all friends and you three wanna fucking fight? For what!? Y'all have been friends for years, for fucking _years_! And now, because someone made a decision you can't agree on you guys wanna fight like a bunch of _kids_! We have a set to perform, in front of people, and you want to ruin that for me? I've done nothing, so suck it the fuck up, at least for tonight, get your dicks out of each other's asses, and lets do this shit, then you can murder each other for all I fuckin' care!" I finished my tirade, still seething a bit.

Everyone looked at me weird, before Naruto hesitantly spoke. "O-ok, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have spoke to you like that. But she's right, we need to finish this set and then we can talk this over, ok guys?" Thank god at least he saw my logic.

The others agreed, finally settling on a setlist before we hit the stage. And _boy_ , what a fiery set that was for me.

No stage diving this time, but I was all over that stage jumping up and down, two stepping and dancing like an idiot. It felt freeing, a weight off my shoulders. I should tap into my anger more often to be honest...

What surprised me were the pits, they were _huge_. I guess that's one way to keep warm. I caught the occasional glance and look from Temari and Sakura, who were probably second guessing telling me to tap into the anger in my heart.

A forty five minute set of this was enough for me, relishing the applause we got at the end of our set before heading off stage, my gear coming off shortly after.

They tried talking to me after the show, but I wasn't having it. I guess forty five minutes wasn't enough to satisfy my angry needs. "No, I'm going home Naruto, please watch the gear and make sure it gets home safe." Was the last thing said by me before I stormed out of the fairgrounds, catching a cab.

All I know is, I really couldn't be at that place anymore. I need to be home. And home is where I'm going.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 31st, 9:00 pm._

"Ne, you're not gonna go after her, dobe?" Shikamaru had asked Naruto, and it was honestly a good question. If I were him I'd also be a bit scared for my life, she looked like she was really, _really_ fuckin' ticked.

Sakura and Temari gave him the advice to let her cool off a little bit before he did. "Nah, I'll let her cool off for a couple of hours, but I'll be there before midnight so we can at least go into the new year together." In retrospect, that's not such a bad idea.

Now, that just leaves the original reason she was mad at us in the first place. "Guys, I mean...she kinda did have a point. We have been being dicks to each other recently, and I say we have a truce right here and right now." I suggested. I've had enough fighting with people I consider brethren of mine.

The two boys turned and caught a look at my devilish grin. "Yeah, I agree, and there's only one good way to do that." Naruto, you're a lot smarter than we've thought before.

And that was get really fucking high. Which we did after we loaded the last of the gear into Naruto's truck. All of us, minus Temari, sat around his truck and smoked as much weed as we possibly could. In that moment, we came to an agreement. We will never fight like we have been again. We even bro-hugged on it, which means it's official, for some weird fuckin' reason.

It was like signing the contract of bro's, stating that we shall never bro-fight like we have been. What we've done was very uncalled for and a major bro-code violation, and I think that's the most times I've used the word 'bro' in one day...bro.

Eventually, Naruto left at ten thirty, trying to make it to Hinata's by eleven. Should be possible, traffic wasn't too bad right about now.

We said our goodbyes to the only remaining couple left before working our way through the crowd and to the spot where I had sat many-a years beforehand. It was a hidden spot, enclosed by trees behind two fences and a gate.

"I know you'll love this spot, it has the best view of the fireworks." I spoke to her cool and calmly, taking her hand in mine and whisking her away from the warm music, good smelling food and buzzing people, chatting and filling the air with laughter and cheer.

Stopping by my car, we grabbed the sticky weed and stowed it in her purse, along with the papers, before heading on the hike. And by hike I mean it is a hike. The place we're going to is a good seventy to eighty feet above the festival looking right down on it. You have to go through a hole in this fence, up a hilly hike about thirty feet, through another fence, up another twenty to thirty feet, and then hop over this gate.

After that it's a short ten foot hike, all the while fighting through brush, branches and random plants. The only animals you see is rabbits, maybe a stray cat or two, but never any big animals. The snakes around here hate the cold, so they don't come out to play hardly.

Checking to make sure there was no one around, I pushed the bottom left corner of the fence in, revealing the hole in it's defense. "Come on, lets hurry and get in there." I muttered to Sakura, ushering her in before I followed shortly after.

Nothing was new, the same dirt paved path I remember from years past, flanked on either side by trees, bushes and grass sprouting up from the ground like a thumb from an outstretched hand to signal to someone 'hey man, nice job' on whatever they were doing at the time.

The first hike was usually the worst, because it was steeper than the other parts, taking us ten minutes to get up it. When we reached the second fence, the hole had gotten a ton bigger, making it easier to get through.

Onto the second trail, it was a little more overgrown than last time, but nonetheless the same. Much like the other one it was a clear dirt path flanked by foliage on either side of it. This one took only five minutes.

And then there was the gate, which was the easiest part. "Up, I'll give you a hand." I don't know why I was still being quiet, but I was. Getting down on one knee I boosted her up and over the gate. Crouching down I prepared myself to hop up. Doing so, my hand latched onto the top of the gate, flinging myself over the gate by the smallest of margins.

I landed on the ground with an audible thud, landing on one foot and a knee, my hand bracing against the ground. Sakura rushed to my side, helping me stand.

With a nod, we were on the home stretch, hiking up about ten feet till we reached what we were looking for. Walking through a bit of overgrown foliage, we reached our destination; a small clearing of about twenty feet wide, ten feet tall, with a single bench perfect for sitting on.

On the sides was more brush and trees, with tree branches hanging over head with a good ten foot clearance. "It's...amazing up here..." The pink haired girl stared out onto the crowd of people down below us, murmuring in awe at what she saw. The ground in front of the bench extended about eight feet, so I didn't want to get _too_ close to the edge.

Looking at my phone the time read eleven fifteen, perfect timing for us to be up here. Wasting no time, we got to rolling. This time I was a little smarter than the previous years, grinding the weed beforehand and getting the emptied cigar papers ready.

 _I wish I would've met you, but now it's a little late. What you could've taught me. I could've saved some face._

The song we chose was fitting for the scenery, a nice, chill and relax song. I flicked my tongue along the edge of the wrapper, folding it over expertly and sealing the edges, taking a lighter to it and completing the sealing process.

 _They think that your early ending was all wrong. For the most part they're right, but look how they all got strong._

Lighting it up, I exhaled the smoke with little force, letting it dribble out of my lungs and mouth at whatever pace it wanted to. I took another strong hit, passing it onto the woman sitting next to me on the bench.

 _That's why I say hey man nice shot. What a good shot, man._

Kicking in right when we started feeling the effects of the pot, the song moved through us. "I can't believe it's about to be another year now, love, and our first new years eve spent together as lovers instead of friends." I spoke into Sakura's ear, kissing her gently on the neck. Her skin was clammy and warm, a thin sheet of sweat covering it.

It was then I realized we were both sweaty from the trail. I ditched the black button up I had on, undressing to just the tank top I had on underneath and the dark wash jeans I was sporting as well. It was like a pocket of land up here protected from the harsh cold wind.

She decided to do the same, taking her sweater off, revealing just a tank top on underneath and a dark pink bra. "What a good year it's been, though, despite all the shit that happened and all the pain and suffering everyone's been through." We shared a kiss, one that could rival the fireworks that were soon to light up the sky.

 _I want you to remember. A love so full it could send us all ways. I want you to surrender, all my feelings rose today._

This love was so full it could practically send my heart in a million different directions, so it's not completely inaccurate for the situation we found ourselves in, chest to chest on a cold winter night, lost in each others lips and moans.

 _And I want you to remain, the power of children can amaze. I'll try not to complain, I know that's a pisser baby._

What could I complain about right now? Besides the cool air tingling our skin, there isn't much wrong with tonight.

 _The chemicals between us, the walls that lie between us, lying in this bed._

 _The chemicals displaced, there is no lonelier place, than lying in this bed._

We stood up, walking over to the edge of the cliff and looking out onto the people, who had just started the countdown. Where we lost in each other for that long? I guess we really were. _"Ten...nine...eight...seven...six...five..."_ When it reached five, I looked at Sakura in here eye and just smiled.

 _"Four...three...two...one...happy new year!"_

A year ended with a kiss, and a new year brought in with a kiss. Happy new year, guys. Let's hope it's better than the last one.

* * *

 **TEMARI-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 31st, 11:35 pm._

Man it felt good to have my Shika-kun back.

After the reconciliation with Sasuke and Naruto his mood has been so much better. I did feel a little worried about Hinata, though, I have never seen a quiet woman like her get as mad as she did. But I'm sure Naruto will take care of her...I hope...

Whatever, if she's anything like me or Sakura she'll get over it, have sex and be shining and vibrant. But the thing is...she really isn't like me or Sakura, at all. She's new to this whole having friends thing. For the longest time, according to everyone, she was a shy, recluse and unsociable girl who didn't like being around anyone at any time unless it was family.

She didn't have any friends she talked to, met with, ate with or even texted. I know there's more to the story, but Naruto won't say. Not that we've asked, but we just know that there's something about those two that neither of them wanna talk about. Maybe they're secret drug smuggling pirates...

Nah, that's not likely. But then again..."Hey hime, you ready to head out to the car?" Shikamaru approached me from the restroom. He knew I wasn't feeling very well around the crowd of people, so he offered to take me out to the car and watch the show from there.

With his hand in mine we made it out to the car in less than ten minutes, hopping up on the trunk of it and dangling our feet down like little kids, our bodies pointed right at where the fireworks would be going off.

I was wrapped warmly in my jacket over the sweatshirt I had on underneath. And by my jacket, I mean his, naturally. "Ne, Shika, what do you hope will happen in this new year?" It was a curious question. We all have hopes and dreams, I can only help but wonder what his hopes and dreams look like for this year.

He made a thinking face before turning to look at me. "Well, the simple ones are getting married to your gorgeous self, welcoming our first child into this world and getting our life set up." Okay, what about the not simple ones? "Not so simple...I want to make sure all of our friends stay together and don't drift apart. And like it or not, I want to see you and your family reconcile."

 _Highway run, into the midnight sun. Wheels go round and round, you're on my mind._

Okay, who's the asshole that decided to start playing this song from their car? "Shika...kun...I know, but...but after what they said..." I just didn't know what to do, if I'm being honest. Everyone wants me to reconcile and make nice, but I don't know if I can.

 _Restless hearts, sleep alone tonight. Sending all my love along the wire._

His arm was thrown over my shoulder, pulling me into a warm side hug as a few tears made their way down my face. "I know, what they said can never be taken back, not in this life or the next. But I don't want to see you spend the rest of your life being bitter when you can be so much more. Loving, caring, kind and courteous. These are all things I can see and feel in your heart. When I'm laying next to you in bed, or sitting next to you, like right now." This fool...he knew just what to say to me.

 _They say that the road ain't no place to start a family. Right down the line it's been you and me. And lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be._

 _Oh girl, you stand by me. I'm forever yours._

I couldn't say anything but take his lips and press them against mine. It seemed like the right thing to do in this moment.

 _Faithfully._

Only ten minutes. Ten short, irrelevant minutes until the clock struck midnight and the new year began. "Heh, it's so weird." I muttered, apparently loud enough for Shikamaru to hear me. "It's strange, this year was a shit storm, but in a matter of just minutes it'll all be over, and we can start the new year." New year, new shit to handle.

A slow nod from my companion meant he agreed with me. A few minutes later a dejected looking Choji passed us, a weird look for his normally happy face. "Hey Choji, you look pretty bummed. What's wrong?" Shikamaru asked him. But the look he gave us, it didn't look like a look we wanted to see. It was _sad_. Not just sad, but pure _depressed_.

Admittedly we were a bit worried, but Choji waved it off, just walking off. I shrugged my shoulders, not wanting to pry into his business. "But...it is weird to think that he would be down and out about something to the point to where he looked like he was ready to...kill himself..." I barely managed to choke the last bit out.

But he wouldn't do it...right? "Tem...I think we should go make sure he's okay..." For once I wholeheartedly agree with prying a bit. We hopped off the car, fast walking as fast as could to catch up to the heavy set man. Luckily, we spotted him standing outside of his car, his head in his hands.

Shikamaru approached him as slowly and tenderly as he could. "Cho...hey...you can talk to us. Just please tell me what's wrong..." He spoke softly and gently, not wanting to stir any irrational emotions or choices from him.

When he turned to look at us, the face he was wearing was completely unlike anything I thought I would ever see from him. "Guys, I really appreciate the offer to help, but I don't think you can understand quite what I'm dealing with right now." Well of course not, because we don't know what he's going through.

"Because you have to explain it to us, Choji, or else we wont know what you're dealing with. We may just be able to help." I tried my hardest to negotiate with him, but it didn't seem to be working, his facial expression only getting worse.

What worried me was when he started reaching into his backpack that was sitting on the ground next to him. "I don't think you understand, you two, no one can understand, and no one ever will. Which is why I have to..." It was evident what he was planning when he brandished a pistol, a revolver specifically, one he had grabbed from the aforementioned back pack.

The look on Shika's face turned instantly to shock and surprise, as he tried to stutter out a statement. "C-Choji...don't...please..." He started motioning with his hands, the countdown echoing in the background.

 _"Ten...nine...eight..."_

"I...have to..."

 _"Seven...six...five..._

"Choji...you don't...please don't..."

 _"Four...three...two..."_

"I'm sorry, but there's no other way..."

 _"One...happy new year!"_

"No! Don't!"

"Goodbye...friend..."

With a resounding bang, it was over. I screamed, sinking to my knees and sobbing. "Help! Anyone, we need help over here! Call an ambulance!" Shikamaru's brash yelling came out strongly, as a few passerby's stopped, one instantly whipping out their phone and dialing the police.

Five minutes passed, and I still couldn't stop crying. Shikamaru eventually picked me up, carrying me to a median not far form the scene, red and blue lights flashing through the area accompanied by the red and yellow lights of the EMT's.

It was over...he was gone...Choji Akimichi had killed himself right in front of me and Shikamaru.

Happy new year, I guess...

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _December 31st, 11:30 pm._

Okay, I don't know _where_ that fuckin' traffic came from, but it pissed me off. I _should've_ been here thirty minutes ago, but nope, had to sit behind assholes, and impatient ones at that! God, do I hate impatient motherfuckers...

Approaching the front door, I knew knocking would be pointless. She either wouldn't hear it, or wouldn't let me in. One of the two. So I jimmied the side gate open...or tried to, at least, before just hopping over it. Fuck the gate, anyways, nothings gonna stop me from seeing her.

I made my way around the side yard, finding the window to her room, and scooped up a handful of tiny pebbles, pegging her window a dozen times until I saw her face through the blinds. She looked...happy? Okay...this is weird. She went from yelling at me and cursing at me to smiling when she saw me. Well, tonight is probably going to be the night I die via psycho girlfriend.

Her hand waved me to go to the front door, as she seemingly left her room to go there. For a second I contemplated running while I had the chance, but shook it off, slapping myself in the face. "Come on, Naruto, you love her and she loves you, you can do it!" I spoke to myself, giving myself a pep talk.

By the time I made it to the front door, she came crashing through it, jumping up into my arms and wrapping her legs around my waist. Even weirder. "H-hey Hina-hime, I'm really sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have spoke to you like that and-" She cut me off with a kiss, pulling back and smiling at me.

So yeah, I'm dying tonight. "Naruto-kun, I'm glad you came! It's ok, I shouldn't have yelled at y'all like that." Her voice was...slurred? I know she hasn't been drinking, so that means...I looked into her eyes, noticing her pupils were pinned like a sonuva bitch.

Frowning a bit, I carried her back inside to her room, laying her down on the bed. "Hina...are you high right now?" I asked tentatively, watching as she shook her head up and down pretty fast.

It was then that I noticed the mark where she usually injected, a bit of dried blood pooled there. "Yeah, I am, and it's pretty _good_." Great, she relapsed.

Honestly, if I had known she'd do this, I wouldn't have let her go. "Hinata-chan...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have let you go..." I was genuinely sad, a tear or two even finding their way out of my ducts and onto my cheeks where they rolled down, dropping from my chin. "You worked _so_ hard, and I had to go mess that up for you..." And now you're back to square one.

I guess seeing my tears made her sober up enough to realize what was going on. "Naru...I...I didn't mean to, I swear." Her shaky breath breathed out, tears finding her face as well. "It's just...I was _so_ mad and...and...I fucked up..." The tears were on full force now as she cried into her hands.

Rushing to her side I instantly allowed her to bury her face into my chest, not letting her spill her tears into her hands anymore. "It's ok, shush, I'm here now, and I'm not gonna go anywhere." When I said that, her face looked up at me, big lavender eyes brimming with tears.

Her bottom lip quivered a bit as she tried to form her words. "Y-you mean it?" I smiled at here, planting a kiss on her forehead, and then her lips, pushing into her and making damn sure she knew I meant what I had said.

Gasping for air I pulled back, smiling even more at her. "Yes love, I _promise_ I'm not going anywhere." With that, I pulled a small, black box out of my pocket. "I know it's too early to think about marriage, but in this box is two rings, one for me and one for you, they're promise rings." I opened the box, pulling hers out and placing it on her finger.

The ring I gave her was a plain silver band, a small, dark blue tanzanite gem in the middle, and two lavender topaz gems on either side of it. On the underside of the band it had her name and our anniversary date inscribed on it.

Mine was rather simple. A dark orange opal stone in the middle of a gold band, with two black tourmaline gems on the sides of it. Likewise, mine had my name and our anniversary date inscribed on it.

She couldn't help but smile at me, crashing her lips down onto mine again. With another gasp, we broke the kiss. "Naruto Uzumaki, with this ring I promise never to lie to you, cheat on you and to never let you leave my heart as long as my heart is beating." Her words came out strong and smooth.

Smiling, I looked her in the eye, preparing my own promise. "Hinata Hyuuga, with this ring I promise that I, too, shall never lie to you, cheat on you, and I will never let you leave my heart as long as it's beating. And I promise I will always love you, because you are my princess."

With a smile on her face, she leaned into me, her lips a centimeter away from mine. "And you, my love, are my handsome prince." Once more, her lips and mine met together for a deep and intimate kiss, lasting throughout the alarm set on my phone signaling the new year had came in the middle of our kiss. And honestly, there wasn't a better way to spend the last seconds of the old year and the first seconds of the new year.

Releasing the kiss, we laughed into each other faces softly, pecking each others lips multiple times in a quick succession.

I wrapped her in my arms, swaying side by side with her to the tune of whatever song was playing through her speakers right now. "Hina, we can beat this, yano? One more promise, which is I promise that we will beat this together, ok?" I was talking about drugs, of course.

Nodding her head into my chest, she mumbled into it. "Okay, I believe you Naruto-kun. _We_ will do this, _together_ , as a team." Of course, there's no other way I can imagine doing it now.

A little while after out little dance, or whatever you wanna call it, we got ready for bed. "Shit, I forgot we have the gear in the truck, can I park it in the garage tonight?" I really don't want the brand new gear getting stolen.

She nodded, saying something about her dad will understand. I hurried out the door, driving my truck up and to the garage door, which was opened by Hinata before she headed back upstairs.

When I got back upstairs, I found Hinata sitting on the bed, more tears in her eyes as she looked at my phone. "Naru...you have to come see the text Shika sent you..." What could he have sent that made Hinata cry? Surely he wasn't being a dick again.

"I don't know what he could've said, love, we made up earlier, so he can't be being a dick." I strutted over to here, grabbing the phone from her hands and looking at the text. And what I saw, well, now I can understand why she was crying.

 _"Guys, I don't mean to be the bearer of more bad news but...Choji is dead...he shot himself right in front of me and Temari. We tried everything we could to stop him but...it just wasn't enough...I'm sorry..."_

I was seething, the phone cracking underneath my grip. "Fucking hell..." Was all I could manage to squeeze out without yelling and throwing my phone against the wall, surely putting a pretty sized hole in it.

Couldn't even go an hour into the new year without tragedy and sadness striking, could we?

Fucking hell, man, _fucking_ hell...can someone turn that blasted song off?

 _The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall. It's simple and it's plain, why should I complain?_

* * *

 **A/N:** On an ending note, I _really_ hate to leave a cliffy and have a 'catch up' chapter next week, but I cannot think of anywhere else to go in this chapter without it pretty much turning into a whole new chapter. Part two to this story will be up next week though. Just because I'm starting a new part doesn't mean I'm taking another break, no, I'm gonna keep churning out material! So, ja ne, till next week!


	17. Take Me To Church

**A/N:** Welcome to part two of this story known as **Wrong Path**! I've been doing a lot of writing this week to make sure we get off to a good start in the next part of this story, and I think it is a good start. There's gonna be a flashback, but for the most part the 'catching up' will be in chapter eighteen. This chapter, though, has something more important in it. A _wedding_. Could it be the one everyone might be thinking of? Possibly.

And I have to apologize, last chapter I said we'd be jumping in a month later at valentines day but I'll leave the four and a half months for flashbacks, it's important to leave stuff to the imagination as to how they coped and stuff...well not really, but let's just say they needed four almost five months of quietness. So here we are in May!

I know at the end of the last chapter it got dark, with Choji committing suicide, but it's the only person I thought likely to do it in this story, honestly. It won't be a pointless write-off, guys, trust me. I have a reason for it. Kiba and Shino will be making their debuts in the coming chapters, I'll do something with them so they're not just sitting on the bench. Kin and the sound people will too, even if only for a chapter or two.

My first review shoutout goes to **Alpacasso**! Thanks for giving me my first review since the end of March, and I'm sorry I made you cry! But this is the way it goes, I'm just glad I made you feel some type of way about this enough that you let me know what you thought, and I look forward to any more reviews you have! Also, to the user named **cespericueta35** , I planned on finishing this, always have and I definitely will!

I'm trying my hardest to introduce and keep everyone in, but this wasn't supposed to be focused on everyone from the get go, just Naruto and Hinata. Chapter eighteen will be massively Naruto and Hinata, that I am sure off, so please stay tuned as it progresses, show me some love in the form of follows, favorites and reviews and as always, enjoy part two!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters, besides Asuka because, well, reasons. Nor do I own any of the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to the song called Take Me To Church by Hozier, a fitting song and title for this chapter.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 21st, 1:00 pm._ **  
**

I can't believe that next week is the last four days of school before we get the summer break we all need and deserve. June 10th is the date Shikamaru and Temari finally settled on for their wedding. I'm happy to see them move forward with this.

The babies due date was drawing near, though, with _her_ due date being June twentieth. Oh man were me, Sakura, Ino and Asuka flipping out when we found out she was having a baby girl. It's just another girl for us girls to spoil.

She really didn't start showing her stomach until about February, around valentines day if I'm right. Yeah, I remember now...she was flipping out because Shika wanted to take her out on a date and she was pretty adamant about not going until he convinced her that she really wasn't fat and that she was beautiful. Women, even I, an actual woman, don't understand us half the time.

If you want my honest answer, it's because, well, we're _women_.

Ever since new years eve, our lives have been relatively quiet, which has me worried. Sure, we've all hung out, went to shows, we've played a few shows, drank and got _fucked up_ during spring break, but other than that yeah it's been pretty mundane.

Ino and Asuka have been talking about moving forward in their relationship after high school, which I'm sure means marriage somewhere along the way. They'd have to leave Konoha to get it done, though, it's still not one hundred percent legal here and there is so many loopholes and hoops to jump through that it's not even funny.

Suna would do it, I'm sure. Funnily, Suna was the first village in the five great nations to legalize recreational marijuana starting June first. You have to be nineteen to do it, but hey, no one here is legitimately complaining. We're not sixteen again and dweebs.

Okay, well maybe _some_ of us are dweebs. Sasuke and Sakura, mostly. They've gotten into a lot of, er, cosplaying shit. And it's fucking weird man. Cool, yes, but it takes dedication to dress up as a show character for a whole day and walk around acting like them.

Fugaku and Mikoto renewed their vows last week, pretty much renewing their marriage. While it was sad to see Itachi move back to where he was studying, it had to be done in order for him to solidify his future as a biologist.

After quite a few attempts at keeping the relationship a secret, in the middle of March was when everyone found out about Minato and Kushina because of a Leafbook photo, cursed social media and potentially ruining other peoples lives. It was the first day of spring break, they were turning up on a beach with me, Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Ino, Asuka, Sakura and a reluctant Temari.

It was a huge trip we made to an outlying area of fire country where the weather was a lot warmer than here. If I'm right, it was close to the border of Fire and Tea, but who knows, we were all too drunk to remember, minus Temari of course.

The more that I think back on that time, it all comes back to me vividly. Like I was there again, a cool drink in my hand.

 _ **flashback-March 7th, 3:00 pm.**_

Weather: warm and sunny. Drinks: cold and alcohol-filled. Friends: present and ready to party.

We reached the beach area at about eleven this morning, but it was a hassle getting checked into all of our hotel rooms. Shika and Temari in one, Me and Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, Ino and Asuka and Minato with Kushina.

They were all right next to each other, but that matters not. As long as we keep the bumping down, if ya know what I mean. We rented a slot of land on a beach with a fire ring, which was what the 'men' were trying to do, but ultimately they ended up arguing on the different ways to start a fucking fire, making Kushina push them out of the way and start it herself. At least it's right across the street from the hotel, literally _right_ across the two lane street.

You go girl, show em. With three ice chests full of beer, water, soda and liquor bottles and water. Yeah, we still need water. I was donning a simple lavender and white horizontal striped bikini. Why go fancy when this looks just as good and feels a ton better. We had another one full of hot dogs, ketchup, mustard, etc.

Sakura had on a pink bikini, because pink fucking hair, _amirite_? Ino surprisingly chose a yellow bikini, ditching purple. Asuka had her baby blue one, which contrasted with her vibrant hair color. Temari, however, refused to wear a bikini by itself, opting to wear a turquoise bikini with a pair of basketball shorts on. At least she didn't wear a shirt.

I mean, c'mon, you gotta let that stomach breathe girlfriend. Although, she could've picked a better size on top, her boobs damn near popping out of them. Kushina had a killer body, one that I didn't notice until she put on her black bikini and laid out on the beach in the sun, a cup of wine next to her.

The boys, well, they were wearing swim trunks. Nothing fancy, just shorts you swim in. I kinda envy men sometimes, to be honest. They have it _pretty_ simple.

After setting up the shade canopy and unloading the barbecue pit from Naruto's truck, they thankfully didn't argue about lighting the pit up, I guess they all had at least that one thing in common. Thank god for that.

Asuka and Ino got the radio going, the guys were cooking and Kushina was sunbathing with Sakura, leaving me and Temari relaxing in out beach chairs under the canopy like a bunch of lazy mofo's. "Hey Hinata, you don't think I look bad do you?" I hated that question, but I had to answer her.

Looking over at her I smiled brightly, rubbing her shoulder gently. "Nah, you actually look pretty damn good for a pregnant woman." I spoke carefully, trying not to trigger any sudden emotional changes.

She turned and smiled back at me, patting me on the shoulder. "I know, it just helps me to have some reassurance, I like to believe myself but yano the brain is a fickle fiend and a gentle lover." Yea, that's true.

 _ **fast forward, March 7th, 11:00 pm.**_

The food was delicious, the music was good and the weather perfect. So far, today's been a good day. I think all the men were pretty properly hammered, as were me and the women minus, again, Temari. I know she wants to drink, but even more she wants to smoke.

While I don't think it's medically bad for the baby, some people think so, and she doesn't wanna risk anything. Do I blame her? Not really, no. But it wouldn't hurt to let it slip once or twice and smoke a little.

As if on cue, Kushina came drunkenly walking up to me and the sober blonde girl. "Hey girls, I was wondering if any of you had a lighter so I can light this blunt." As if we didn't know what one was, she gestured at the one stuck between her ear and head.

Temari scoffed a little bit, sitting up and looking at the fiery headed woman. "Hinata has one right?" I nodded, reaching into my purse/bag. "I just wish I could smoke some, but this baby, it means everything to me and Shika and I don't wanna fuck that up for a little high." Her hand floated to rest on her stomach, a sad look on her face. I did feel bad, but I understood.

A laugh broke the moment, coming from the aforementioned red head. "Okay, I can understand you for believing that, dear, but it really isn't true. I smoked a ton during my pregnancy with Naruto and look at him, he's fine!" We all looked over to Naruto, who was making a sand angel, drunk off his ass. "Er, okay, don't look at him, but still!"

We all burst out into laughter, a good laugh we all needed to calm the tension. "Well...I trust you, Ms. Kushina, but Shikamaru, er, he-" She got cut off by the pineapple haired man behind her.

"Shikamaru never bought into that, I only agreed with you because I didn't want to argue, love." Wow...he's truly a genius...he learned to just agree with a woman even when he knew he was right. "Tell me if I disagreed with you that you wouldn't have gotten mad and cursed me out." He laughed out, more so at the red face she had.

Grumbling a little bit, she crossed her arms and acknowledged defeat. "Yeah, sure, let's go with that." I know it sucks accepting defeat, but it happens to everyone. "So this means you don't care if I smoke?" She asked her fiancé, who shook his head with a smile. "Well shit then, light the damn blunt woman, lets party!"

This was gonna be a helluva week.

 _ **flashback end.**_

And a helluva week it really was. A week filled with drinking, pot, barbecue, friendship and lots, I mean _lots_ of unadulterated, chains free sex. That is, of course, if your name wasn't Sasuke or Sakura. Those two are something else.

But one thing was still lingering over us that weekend. Not so much now, but it was still fresh in Shikamaru and Temari's mind. I'm talking about the suicide of Choji Akimichi, of course. How could you forget that so easily?

His funeral was quiet, minus the sobbing from his mom and the solemn look on his dads face. That night was the first time the Ino-Shika-Cho trio went out to drink in what must've been years. Needless to say, the bar they went to didn't even know what was about to hit them

He didn't know us, but it only felt right that we were there to remember him, especially for what he was as a teammate to Naruto, Shikamaru and Sasuke.

It's been four months and two weeks since that casket was lowered and covered in dirt, sealing with it the memories of what happened that night. Moving on proved a lot more difficult than it seemed to be, but we all learned from the experience. None more than Shika and Tem-chan. Ino was hit hard by it, being a suicide attempt survivor herself, and has helped Choji's family move on.

Time has passed, and everything is fine now, for the most part. Me and Naruto haven't been happier, and it's coming up on eight months together as a couple.

It's eight months I could never want to take back. Through the highs and the lows, the shit and the, well, not shit, we've been there for each other. "You ready, hime?" I heard my blonde, hyperactive boyfriend yell from the bathroom.

I smiled and yelled back my confirmation, standing up and heading towards the door.

Today was the day that Minato and Kushina decided to get officially married.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 21st, 1:45 pm._

Sighing I finished buttoning up the white dress shirt I had on, which was accompanied by the black slacks, belt and dress shoes I was sporting.

The wedding was at seven pm at Senju Memorial park, but they wanted us to be there by three to 'rehearse'. Honestly, this wedding is so laid back and chill it's not even funny, it's just something that's overdue by some eighteen years.

Accentuating the 'chillness' of this wedding was the fact that no one was wearing tuxedos, there was no huge attendance, mainly our core of friends, Hiashi, my mom and dad, Ino's mom and dad, Shika's mom and dad, Chouza Akimichi, Choji's dad, and his mom, and a few high ranking officials of the military and government.

I think we could even show up in Friday casuals and they wouldn't care, they're just ready to finally get this over with. "Ne, Sakura-chan, are you ready?" I hollered at her from the bedroom. She was in the restroom dressing, as far as I know, into her dark red dress and black flats. When she came out, I smiled at her, admonishing her beauty.

Over the past four months her chest grew a little bit, allowing her to show off her cleavage a lot more. An enjoyable yet annoying feat for me. Her hair was still bubblegum pink, and it now reached the small of her back. "I'm as ready as ready can be...ready." She fumbled over her words as she put in her gold ball stud earrings and tied her hair into a long and flowing ponytail.

Planting my lips on hers gently, I inhaled the perfume she was wearing, my mouth watering at the scent of cinnamon and cream. "Mm, you smell ready." I muttered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

Flustered, she batted my arm a few times softly, giggling at my antics. "Sasuke-kun, come one, I just got dressed and prettied up, I don't wanna ruin that with sex." True enough, we both spent time getting ourselves dressed to impress. Hell, I even combed my usually wild and unkempt hair, so that's saying something.

Still doesn't mean I couldn't mess with her a little bit, running my hand down her curvaceous side and resting it on her ass, before giving it a sharp slap, drawing a gasp from her lips. "Hmm, I guess, but that doesn't mean that you aren't being a little temptress in that devilish red dress, and what you have on underneath..." I sucked in air sharply, picturing the black lingerie she was wearing.

Just because it's someone else's wedding doesn't mean we can't have a little honeymoon-type sex afterwards, right? Right. "W-whatever, let's just get ready to go baby, today is a very important day, not just for Minato and Kushina, but for Naruto. He finally has his family together."

Yeah, and I couldn't help but smile a little at that. Sure, us men were supposed to have well kempt emotions, but this is one of those times that I just can't help but feel overjoyed for the man I consider like a brother to me.

Shikamaru's wedding is different, that's for sure. Temari's parents insisted on formality and professionalism. Like they really deserve to insist on _anything_ after that day, but that's none of my business...ah who am I kidding, they really don't fucking deserve it, but they have been really apologetic.

Even if it took until the middle of February to get them to finally reconcile, they have done everything they could to atone for their actions.

And if their apologies are good enough for Shika and Tem, then I have no right to be mad anymore...but I don't give a flying fuck so I still will be if I want to. Deal with it, or don't, that's your choice. Gaara didn't even need to apologize, that poor boy shouldn't have brought into the middle of the families shit storm, but he had no choice, so I can't blame him, really.

I mean, I can, but..."Yes ma'am, we're all happy for the three of them." Smiling, our hands clasped together as we trotted out of the house and into my car, heading off to the destination. "Do you even think we'll be 'rehearsing', or just smoking weed?" I asked, kind of curious as to why we needed to rehearse something so simple.

Giggling, she rested her hand on top of mine, which was rested on the shifter knob. "I don't think we'll be rehearsing, more like hanging out. From what I've heard she's not even wearing a wedding dress, per se, more like a simple white dress." Don't blame her, I can imagine those things are more uncomfortable than a normal dress.

As long as it's a white dress, I guess. I took a right turn down the main road that leads to the park, making good time. It was two fifteen right now.

If all went well, we'd be there by two thirty. And it did, with virtually no traffic we made it there right at two thirty, finding a parking spot towards the rear of the parking lot of the park. With a couple squirts of cologne I was prepped, walking over and opening the door for Sakura, giving her a hand out of the car.

Naruto was here already, naturally, dressed in what was basically the same thing as me and the rest of the boys, a white button up, black shoes, belt and pants. "Ohayo, Sasuke, Sakura, glad you could make it!" He exclaimed, clapping his hand in mine and pulling me in for a hug, before doing the same with Sakura.

"I agree, this is a beauty of a day for a nighttime marriage." Our attention was turned to the girl who just spoke, Hinata, who was rocking a dark blue dress, which was complimented by her black dress flats and long, flowing black hair.

Both me and Sakura gave her a small hug, hanging around and talking for a minute until Shikamaru and Temari came walking up. "What's up guys, glad to see you make it here safe and sound... _finally_." The added stress on the word 'finally' made us laugh.

For a wedding, it didn't have the feel of one. Normally they're stressful and bustling, whereas this one was a rather chill, lax environment. "So, does anyone know what we're supposed to be rehearsing?" Thank god Temari asked that, because I had no idea.

A laugh emanated from Naruto and Hinata, as they motioned for us to follow them. "I knew she'd say something like that, but nothing at all, she just wants us all to be here early and chillax, yano?" Our blonde haired companion spoke as he led us into the area that they rented out. Set up in the area was a walled canopy with enough room for about a hundred people to sit under easily.

Inside of it was, as I thought, a hundred chairs, the walls were lined with white Christmas lights for when it gets a bit darker, a podium, the arch over the podium which was all dressed up with fake vines and lights, and the tri pronged ceremony candle. Needless to say, it was homey and comfy in here.

But that wasn't the stop we were headed to. Behind the makeshift marriage hall was an open canopy set up, where Minato, Kushina and my parents were sat, drinking only the fanciest champagne and talking about...whatever adults talk about.

We said our hellos to them, talked for a minute, before heading to where Naruto and Hinata had set up for themselves. "See, we know this park inside and out, right off the edge of this trail it leads to a spot where you can watch Redeemer Creek flow, it's a scenic spot me and Hinata favor when we need some relaxing time."

And boy he wasn't wrong, it was like it was out of a nature book for best photos. The clear water creek flowed at a brisk pace, a slab of concrete was cleaned off for us to sit on and hang out, it was from what I presume was a former sidewalk.

"Now, as you know, this scene wouldn't be right without two things." I can already tell where this is going. "Pot, and some calming music." But not just any music, no, it was live music in the form of Hinata playing her acoustic and singing.

I think the weirdest part is through all of this, we didn't even talk to each other much while she played and sang, rather we just sat around and smoked pot and swayed with the tunes of Hinata.

 _My lovers got humor, she's the giggle at a funeral, knows everybody's disapproval, I should've worshipped her sooner._

 _If the heavens ever did speak, she's the last true mouthpiece, every Sunday's getting more bleak, a fresh poison each week._

As her voice cascaded and flowed with the chords she was strumming, I got the feeling there was more to this spot than either of them were admitting. It had this certain feeling to it, a weird feeling, but a good one nonetheless.

 _We were born sick, you heard them say it._

 _My church offers no absence, she tells me worship in the bedroom, the only heaven I'll be sent to, is where I'm alone with you._

 _I was born sick, but I love you, command me to be well._

The plethora of 'amen's' that came out was like no other. It was like we were in church again and the preacher man said something so holy that everyone felt compelled to voice their agreement with a full and wholehearted 'amen'.

 _Take me to church. I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies, I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife._

 _Offer me that deathless death, oh, good god let me give you my life._

Repeating the chorus once she was right into the next verse, relentlessly belting out the words that fit the song so well.

 _If I'm a pagan of the good times, my lover is the sunlight, to keep the goddess on my side, she demands a sacrifice._

 _Drain the whole sea, get something shiny._

 _Something meaty for the main course, that's a fine looking high horse. What you got in the stable? We've a lot of starving faithful._

 _That looks tasty, that looks plenty, this is hungry work._

Another chorus went down as we passed around the blunt, eventually lighting another one right as soon as she started the bridge, the full effect of the song and where we are finally hitting us.

 _No masters or kings when the ritual begins. There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin._

 _In the madness and toil of that sad earthly scene, only then I am human, only then I am clean._

She rounded out the song with another round of amen's, letting the last note ring out as we clapped for her. She took it with a courteous smile. "So, what do you guys think of where we are?" The way Hinata worded the question pretty much confirmed there was something special about where we are.

Before any of us could say anything, branches cracking alerted us that someone was coming. "Calm down, it's just Asuka and Ino." Ino said, smiling and waving at us. "As for how long have we been here? Well we heard the song and smelled the pot. And what is this spot? Well gather 'round and let me explain it all." She knew about this spot too, I'm guessing.

Taking a seat, she grabbed her own weed-filled cigar and started toking on it. "Ah, yeah, this spot is still the same." We heard her say while exhaling a cloud of smoke. Catching sight of our glares, she started talking again, about the spot this time. "Okay, so a long time ago, some six hundred years ago, this creek right here used to be a part of a might river used for transport." Okay, yeah the name seems familiar to me now.

Puffing on her cigar again she prepared to continue. "Well, six hundred years ago, this land was inhabited by the tribe of Senju, and they were engulfed in a bloody war with a tribe across the mighty river called the Inako tribe. Around four hundred years ago, both sides agreed to a peace treaty with each other, agreeing to dam off the river to make it easier to cross. That river was the Running Leaf river, an inspiration to the name of the Leaf village, Konoha." I should've paid more attention in history.

Sensing the lingering questions she answered them all in a fell swoop. "The feeling you're getting is the peace spirit that inhabited the land, before it was driven out by war and the mass deforestation of the land, pot has a good effect here because Inako and Senju were huge users of it, and the mighty Running Leaf is now reduced to this. It is now known as Redeemer creek, inspired by the first and second Hokage, Hashirama and Tobirama Senju, the redeemers of the land. Get it? Got it? Good."

Damn woman, that was a mouthful. "Yeah, we all should've paid more attention in History class." Sakura giggle out, getting nods from everyone except Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Asuka and Shikamaru.

Naruto coughed a bit, before looking at us with red eyes glassed over. "Nah, we found this spot two or three months ago and researched it, with the surprising help of Tsunade, yano, Tsunade _Senju_." Ah, well now I notice her last name. "I know, neither of us realized she was a descendent of the Senju clan till then."

With a nod, Hinata continued the story, picking up where Naruto left off. "Mhmm, she ran us through the history in a quick summary, and told us a lot about the peace spirit that used to inhabit this land. But when it left, it left some youkai strong enough to bring peace to this land for the next ten thousand years."

Normally I'd bitch for them making us learn outside of school, but this is interesting. "Now, it's just a land that's forbidden to be touched by machinery for the rest of it's existence here, decreed by the first and strongly upheld by the second, third and now the fourth Hokage." Shikamaru finished, rounding out the end of the tale.

And what a tale that was. I think I'm set in history for the next ten years guys, thanks.

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 21st, 6:50 pm._

I know, it's just a wedding, but damn it that doesn't mean I can't be fucking nervous! I was trying my best not to pace myself out of the dress I was wearing, a plain and straight forward white, flowing dress. I decided to go barefoot for some reason, but it felt natural.

Also, it really went with the hippie/gypsy thing I had going on with my hair, which was allowed to flow freely, only held back by a headband decorated with white flowers, a show of the purity we still held in our hearts. Well, at least, that's what Mikoto said. She's always been the symbolic kinda person.

Whoever did my makeup did well, I don't quite remember her name. Or much right now, for that matter. I'm just trying to remember to breath and not drop dead on the floor right now, as tempting as it is..."Oi...oi! Earth to Kushina!" I heard Mikoto yell and wave her hand in front of my face. "C'mon woman, you're about to get married, now pull ya shit together or I'll make you!" I don't know...

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think straight. It's like this is the punishment I get for postponing the ceremony for over eighteen years. "I...I'm trying, Mikoto-chan, but nothings working-hey!" She seized my shoulders stiffly, turning me to face her, before crashing her lips down onto mine forcefully.

This kiss was unlike the others we had, which were just innocent and cute, but no, this one was deep, intimate and passionate. It's like she transferred some of her confidence and sureness through her lips and into mine, which was subsequently woven into my body.

Gasping in deeply when we broke it off, I looked her in the eye seriously. "Thanks, Mikoto, I needed that, but did it have to be a kiss?" With an innocent smile and a matter of fact look on her face she nodded strongly. "Ugh, this is the best _and_ worst day of my life." I sighed out.

Five minutes before I had to walk into that room, right after my soon-to-be husband. "Tough shit, buttercup, you're gonna do this whether or not you like it, because I know you'll love it, _especially_ the honeymoon." I almost forgot about that. We planned a week long trip to Whirlpool for a romantic lovers getaway.

Blushing, I gathered all my strength, placing myself next to the door, er, flap, I'd be entering from on cue. And that cue came quicker than a virgin with a pornstar.

The music hit, and Minato walked in, I'm assuming, and he was followed by Shikaku, his best man, naturally. With a soft smile, Mikoto held the flap open for me, allowing me to walk in, taking my spot on the right side of the podium, facing Minato and his blasted grin that can melt steel beams. In between us was the minister, who neither of us knew but it didn't matter.

My maid of honor, Mikoto, trailed me, taking a spot next to me. Yeah, I know, it's supposed to be an unmarried woman, but I have no friends like that. In the crowd I spotted Naruto, Hinata and the crew, as well as the parents and other adults. The few politicians and government officials that came all smiled at me warmly.

"We are gathered here today to join these two souls together in the binds of marriage." Started the certified minister, whatever that means. "Marriage; a sacred bond two people share together, committing themselves to loving and caring for each other for the rest of their lives, until their last breath is drawn and subsequently exhaled."

Minato, I don't know _who_ this guy is...but he's boring me to death. "The bride and groom have prepared a list of vows for each other, and I would like to invite them to recite them in front of each other now, starting with the groom. Mr. Namikaze, if you will." Ah shit, I forgot the paper, think, Kushina, _think_!

Hopefully he has some long vows so I have a minute to think of mine again. "Kushina," he drawled out smoothly, "ever since I first laid eyes on you, I saw the innocence in your soul, the kindness, the compassion and all of the factors that would make you a perfect wife for a lucky man someday. And thank god that the lucky man that has the honor of taking your hand in marriage is me." Wait...he memorized them...by heart? Great, way to make me feel loved _and_ like I'm a piece of shit at the same time.

"Even if we had our separation and distance from each other, I can proudly and surely say that my love has not died not one single ounce for you. If a room had a million candles in it blazing with fire, representing my love for you, not a single one of them would be extinguished." Is he...stalling? I know he wouldn't prepare something _this_ elegant and fancy.

I caught his eye, and he gave me a loving smirk. So he _is_ stalling. "But now that we have reconciled and reconnected ourselves to each other I know that both you and I are ready to finalize our eternal love for each other with these vows and the ultimate show of love; our marriage." Come on, just a little bit longer.

Clearing his throat, he began the home stretch, the _actual_ vows. "Kushina, I vow to always be there for you, not only as a husband, but as a best friend, someone you can always confide in and trust to take care you until the end of our days. I vow to love, to cherish and to hold you until our days have met their end, and even then I look forward to the eternities we will share in the afterlife." And now he's done. Great.

Swiveling on his feet, the minister turned and looked at me. "Ms. Uzumaki, if you would kindly." I bowed, the only thing I knew to do.

Okay, Kushina, just dig deep, tell him how you really feel! "Minato..." I trailed off, trying to dig deeper than I ever have before. And then it hit me. "Minato, likewise I knew from the moment we met under, shall we say, _dire_ circumstances, I saw in you the qualities you possessed to be a great leader, an even greater husband, and the perfect father a wife, son or daughter could ever ask for." He always had that feel to him...

Sniffling a bit, I held my façade, not wavering but only the slightest. "And now that we have spent the time together, learning to know and love each other through our strengths and weaknesses, I see that it is not just you who is lucky, but I as well. You cover me when I need shelter, and support me on days when I need a crutch, and as always I will love you for that." I'm not sure where this all was coming from, but I like it.

Come on, just a little bit more..."As for my vows, I vow to never abandon you like I have, and that I will always confide in you just as you can confide in me. I vow to be to you what you are to me, not just a wife, but a best friend, and I cannot think of anyone better to be my best friend...for eternity." I finished, letting a single tear out.

Closing his bible with a snap, the minister grabbed two white lighters and handed them to us, instructing us to light the lower candle on our respective sides. "Now, to signify the lighting of a fire, a new chapter in your life so to speak, and the teamwork a marriage requires, light the candle in the middle with the flame from your respective candle."

It was a rather simple thing. A small round of applause sounded through the tent, which meant there was one last thing to do. "Groom, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?" My heart thudded when he said the first 'I do'. "Do you promise to honor her, love her, cherish her and keep her, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?" * _thud_ * Another 'I do'.

And finally, it was down to me. He went through the first bit, pausing to get my answer. "I do..." I managed to croak out through a tight throat. Rambling on, he finished the last part, and this was it. I do, or I don't.

My hands balled into fists at my sides, teeth gritting as I conjured up those two confounded words. "I-I...do..." Just like that, the weight was lifted off my chest, and I could breath again, my hands and jaw relaxing.

Smiling, the minister announced to the entire tent of people. "Well then, by the power invested in me by the daimyo of the fire nation, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Mr. Namikaze, you may kiss the bride."

We wasted little time, embracing each other in a kiss that deafened the clapping and cheering that filled this tent. And for a moment, everything was sound, everything was perfect, and nothing, _nothing_ , could take this away.

Eighteen years later, I've rectified my mistakes and married the love of my life.

I am now Mrs. Kushina Namikaze, and I will _proudly_ wear that name like a badge of honor.

Just one thing though..."Honey, do you happen to know what happened to the paper that had my vows on it?" I asked him, and felt my anger rise a bit when he sheepishly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"W-well, the funny thing is..." He paused, laughing a bit more. My glare centralized on him, making him sweat. "You, well, you kinda _dropped_ them on the way to get dressed, and since Mikoto was adamant about me not seeing you in the dress beforehand, well, I kinda _couldn't_ give them to you." Fuckin' Mikoto, making things difficult.

Smiling, I kissed his cheek and walked off with him to go dance. "Yea, I can understand... _but_ ," the ending of that was laced with enough venom to kill an army. "You could've still handed them to me, _love._ " Oh how I loved myself sometimes.

Stuttering out an apology, I just laughed, leading his flustered self to the dance floor. "Just shut up and dance with me... _husband._ " And there's the non deadly venom.

He smiled, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Gladly, my beautiful _wife_."

Wife, hmm...I can get used to that.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 21st, 9:30 pm._

So this is what a small wedding is like...sucks that ours has to be a big deal. I can understand tradition and all, but sometimes it's good to abandon tradition and just go with the flow of things, letting life take shape and guide you into your own course.

The last hour and forty five minutes was filled with dancing, laughter and chatter, sipping champagne out of flutes and enjoying the crowd.

I noticed a few sniffles coming from my dance partner, my wife-to-be, Temari, and paused, lifting her chin up. "Hey, what's wrong Tem-chan?" I asked quietly and gently, still swaying with the music a bit. "Are you wanting to leave?" It was a safe question, she was pregnant after all.

Her head shook 'no' as she wiped the forming tears from her eyes. "No, it's not that, it's just..." She trailed off, sniffling a bit more. "It's just that in a little under three weeks, that'll be us up there, next to the ordained minister, swapping vows and proclaiming our everlasting love for each other, sealing it with a kiss, making us bound together forever." Well, when you word it like that...

Kissing her forehead, I wiped the few remaining tears from her eyes and smiled softly at her. "I know, it's a bit surreal, yeah, but I also cannot wait. Just like they said, I can't think of a better person to want to spend the rest of my life with." I should turn the sweetness down, don't wanna make her an emotional wreck just yet.

Didn't quite work, as she buried her face into my chest and cried her tears of joy and emotions. Was I _actually_ ready? Yeah, I think so. I know I'm ready to be married, but the emotion put into it, it's on a level that is unprecedented and unmatched by a lot of things.

And then there's the baby coming, which is another emotional even that, from what I've heard, you cannot compare the feeling to. We thought about names for a little bit, but decided that we'll name her the day of, letting the name speak to us rather than us speaking to it.

As we were swaying, my father and mother swayed up next to us, smiling for a moment, before spinning and dancing off into the crowd. I chuckled airily, smiling at them. I think, if anyone, they'll have the best advice for me on how to handle the emotions and not be overwhelmed by them. Not that it's a bad thing, but I'd rather not break down in tears onstage, that's the girls thing to do.

Looking around, I caught glimpses of our friends, each enveloped in their respective lovers arms. Ino in her yellow dress and Asuka in her dark purple one grooving and jiving to the music that was serenading us.

Naruto with his similar attire and Hinata in her blue dress, they seemed the most comfortable, their eyes were closed as they lost themselves in the music and the embrace of one another. Not that I can blame them.

A sight I thought I'd never see was Sasuke dancing, his partner Sakura in her dark pink dress. It all seemed natural, these things we once feared and swore off were all coming to us naturally, as if we had never forgot how to do them, like we learned them in womb.

Hearing a groan come from Temari, she gave me a look that I knew. "Okay, I'll take you to go sit with my mom." She was exhausted, barely managing a smile.

The night carried on, the slow country and soul music still playing as I met up with Naruto and Sasuke outside for a cigarette, it seemed right in this situation. We left our companions together, leaving when they started talking about girly shit. I love em, but I'm not gonna volunteer to listen to that willingly.

"So, it's done, your family is complete and we're all happy. Five months ago I can't say I saw this coming, to be honest." Sasuke spoke, lighting up a cigarette and exhaling the smoke into the air, reaching into the backpack he brought and revealing a sigh of relief. No more champagne, no, he had brought a bottle of nineteen fifty scotch. "Yea, my dad said to try it tonight, it's no where near to being the most fancy or special shit he's got though."

I smiled, offering my flute out to him as he poured me and Naruto a glass, before pouring one himself. At first sip, it was smooth and dark, with a sweet aftertaste. "Your dad has really good taste, Sasuke, and no, I can't say that I saw this coming either." I exhaled the words along with the fumes of alcohol and the smoke of a cigarette.

Naruto smiled, punching us both lightly on the shoulder. "If I heard right, he's going to give me a special bottle for your bachelors party, so be prepared." Shit, I almost forgot about that. "And thanks, guys, this has been a really good night, for all of us I cant tell." It really was.

In the midst of a special night for Minato and Kushina, we also found a silver lining for us too. "It's no problem, I know y'all are gonna do the same for me. Three weeks until I join the world of married men." Sighing out, it was in pleasure for once.

A hearty laugh came from behind us, as we spun to see who it was. "Just remember son, the first few weeks or months will be the hardest, but after that, it's smooth sailing as long as you actually love each other." Ah Fugaku.

Shaking his hand, he brought out a cigar, lighting it up with his zippo. "Yes sir, I do believe wholeheartedly that our love for each other is nothing but pure, it was before she got pregnant and it is now, and it always will be no matter what."

The rough and gruff man smiled, a feat no man should take lightly. "Ah yeah, I have faith in you kiddo, and all of you, for that matter, even the two girls. I'm gonna have Sasuke bring that bottle for you, it's a bottle of hundred year old spiced rum, direct from the land of the rice paddies and into my safe keeping. I'm not a rum guy anyhow, but I hope you three enjoy." Luckily, I love rum. So there's that.

He poured him a flute full of it, admiring the flavor with a pleasured hum. "So dad, you never said if you'd have to go back to working again." Oh yeah, he never did.

Chuckling a throaty chuckle, his calloused hand clamped onto Sasuke's shoulder. "Son, my actual son, I'm retired with enough money in savings to survive for the next millennium, but your mother enjoys her job, so she wants to keep working." Makes sense, that woman does get bored rather easily, so it's best to keep her somewhat busy.

Keep em busy and then they can't nag as much, right? "Chouza and his wife seemed happy, right? I really want them to find closure." I sighed out a plume of smoke, swigging the scotch in my glass.

"Everyone wants closure, Shikamaru, and I believe they've found closure. In the end, Chouza knows there's no point in hanging on. Choji wouldn't want that, Choji just wanted peace for himself and his family. Sure, I think it's selfish to end your life, but I'm not gonna spend my time holding on to the negative, I want to celebrate his life by remembering his friendship, yano?"

I know Naruto, trust me, I know. Let's just enjoy the rest of the night.

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 22nd, 12:30 am._

Just about midnight was when everything wound down and everyone got ready to leave. No one even got drunk, at least, not _drunk_ to the point to where there was any doubt about their ability to drive.

You know the men did their normal cigar smoking and whiskey sipping, and the women did their gossiping and talking non fucking stop. Though we did get to hang out with Temari, and she's always the best to hang around whenever you need a good friend and a good laugh. That girl can find humor in anything.

It needn't be said, but we're all excited for their wedding and the babies due date. Funny, huh, the lesbian girl loves babies, the one thing that she can't have if she's with another woman. Ain't that some shit now? That's just another thing that me and Asuka will have to figure out, but nonetheless we will persevere and make our love thrive and flourish, no matter the bullshit.

I slid into the drivers seat of my car, turning the key and hearing the engine crank over smoothly. It just got an oil change, so I would hope it would. Putting it into drive I drove it around to the front area in front of the tent where the wedding was held, my eyes scanning for the awaiting red head and her purple dress.

Catching sight, I smiled and rolled the window down, calling out to her. "Hey, Asuka-chan, I'm right here." I said in a semi-loud voice, just enough to catch her attention.

She saw me and made an 'ah' face, smiling as well and walking up to the car and getting in. Once we were all buckled up, we drove off out of the park and down the road to our house, my parents house.

Her hand trailed down my shoulder and my sides as she kissed my cheek gently. "Mmm, I can't wait to get you out of this dress, Ino- _chan_." The sultry tone she had sent shivers down my spine, raising the hairs on my arms and giving me goosebumps.

"H-hey, I'm trying to drive here baby, wait till we get home." I protested half assed and lazily, enjoying her little teasing session. So we're starting another game? She must have an obsession or fetish for losing.

But there was one thing we needed to do, and that was go pick up some more stuff from the dude we've been buying from ever since she left her little clique. I always thought it was a little fishy that they let her go so easily, but oh well, we still get the good deal.

With a right turn we were in Los Kono, at almost one in the morning on a Saturday night. Not the brightest of ideas, but this is where the dude was at tonight, so this is where we must be to get the stuff that we need. Er, want, but you know what I mean.

Looking in the rearview mirror I could've swore I saw a black car trailing us, but again I shrugged it off. No one follows you here, they just shoot. "Ne, it's never been this, well, _quiet_ , here at night. Especially on a weekend." Asuka's skeptical voice said, and if she was skeptical, I was too. Not afraid, just skeptic of what's going on tonight for it to be quieter than a church mouse.

And it really was, but by the time we realized that, we were at the guys house. "Just text him so we can get this stuff and get the hell outta here." It didn't need to be said, but she did it, texting the guy. A few minutes later he came strutting up to our car, leaning on my window sill.

In his hand was a black bag with the stuff in it, and after checking to make sure we weren't getting duped, we handed him the money. As he was counting it, I felt the need to ask him something. "Uh, excuse me, sir?" I started tentatively, wavering under his glare. "D-do you happen to know why it's so quiet around here? It usually isn't."

His gaze softened, before he took a serious face. "I can't say, all I can tell you is get out of here quickly. I gave you a little extra for the trip, I'll never ask you to come back here again. Not anytime soon, anyways..." He trailed off, stowing the money in his pocket and walking briskly into the shotgun house he was at.

I looked over at Asuka, who just shrugged and motioned for me to go, which I did. We were rolling down the streets when I noticed the black car again. Only this time, Asuka noticed it too, silently reaching for the gun she kept in my glove box.

She gave me a serious look, whispering lowly. "Look, if they start firing, drive. Anywhere but here, don't worry about me, I'll return some fire to hold them back."

Nodding, I kept on the path we were going until it happened. Shots rang out from behind us as a bullet struck my back windshield, shattering it. "Ah fuck!" I exclaimed, hammering the pedal trying to get away quickly.

The shots kept coming as I saw Asuka turn around, firing off her own rounds. "Make some turns, these guys obviously can't aim for shit so make it harder!" Asuka yelled over all the sounds of the gunfight we found ourselves in. Turning, I turned again, and again, disregarding red lights. "I got one, there's only two firing now so hopefully they'll retreat!" I hope so, love.

Fifteen minutes passed and they didn't land a single shot as Asuka took one more of them out. But then we heard those fated sirens getting closer. Thinking quickly I saw the best idea we had right now. "Hold on, I'm going off-roading!" I took a sharp left, busting through a fence and entering a massive concrete drainage ditch.

Once we did that, the attackers split the other direction trying to elude the police too. We rolled down the angle and ended up in the few inch deep drainage water, spinning tires and hauling ass down it, driving into a tunnel where the street crosses over and slamming it into park, quickly shutting the lights off.

We didn't talk for the next ten minutes, waiting to be sure the police weren't close to us before I turned the lights back on, driving back up the concrete and up onto the sidewalks that topped it. "Huh, I wonder where this trail goes..." I trailed off. Ha, see what I did there? Yeah, I'm lame...

Following it to the end it lead us to an abandoned park, abused by the elements. "This is Memorial Park...I used to come here as a child, before my parents..." Asuka stopped mid-sentence, choking back tears. It was a stressful situation made even more stressful. I was about to leave quickly before she stopped me. "No...don't go...just let me feel the good times again, I want to remember the good times..." Her eyes were now leaking tears, spilling off her face and onto her lap.

I smiled at her softly, shutting the car off and wrapping my arm around her, pulling her in for a hug. The tears seceded five minutes later, as it was deafeningly quiet.

The silence was broken when I heard her car door pop open, looking at her as she stepped out. I quickly got out, walking over to her. "Asuka-chan, where are you going?" I asked, following her to the worn out metal slide that was here.

She sat down on it, a dead look occupying her face as she silently let tears flow free. "This slide...it's where I used to beg my dad to catch me when I came down, but he...he never did..." The smile I wore now was sad, the air was warm and the wind blowing my blond locks gently.

I sat down on the edge of the slide next to her, enveloping her in both of my arms as she sobbed, quietly at first. But it got louder, my red headed lover was weeping now, something I never thought I'd see her do. "It's ok, it's ok, just let it all out baby..." I cooed and comforted her, coaxing her to finally grieve.

When it was finally over, we sat there quietly, staring out into the woods behind the car which we were facing. "I...no...thank you..." Asuka slowly spoke, rubbing my back gently. I whispered a calm 'you're welcome' into her ear, maintaining my grasp on her.

We stayed there until three am, garnering an hour of quietness in remembrance of her parents. No matter if they were bad, they were still her parents.

Grieving, heh, it works wonders. Oh how a few thousand tears can heal the pain of a loss so great.

"Let's go home, Ino-chan."

I smiled, carrying her exhausted form to the car. "Of course, hime."

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh yeah, I didn't mention that Asuka's past would be coming back to haunt her...whoops...oh well. It doesn't have my most impressive word count, but I've been working on my writing style to elongate the story telling and packing more into it without the need of 10k word chapters. Next chapter is the end of junior year though! We will only have the summer and the senior year before I try to wrap things up and work on a sequel (if wanted). I cannot thank my readers enough, and I beg you to review, follow and favorite, it lets me know how much you love it. Until next week, ja ne!


	18. Comedown

**A/N:** Two chapters into part two here we are, it's party time! The school year is over and the summer is upon the Konoha crew, so what will happen? Shikamaru and Temari's marriage is coming up pretty soon, as is the birth of their daughter. It's been about nine months since the beginning of this story (in story time, mind you) and it's only gonna get better from here on out I hope.

In this chapter we have the graduation, a beach house party with lots of fun involved, fun for everyone! This summer is going to be fun for them, bonds will be tested, love will grow, new characters are going to be introduced if even just temporarily, and most of all, it's gonna _burn like a motherfucker_. What would the Naruto universe be without a little bit of drama and sadness? On a side note, most of the songs in this chapter are country and rap with one rock song, so you can see my diversity a little bit.

As an apology in advance, this chapter is in Hinata's point of view for the majority. Basically after Naruto's look-back on the past five months it's all Hinata. Why, some may ask, and the answer is I want to develop a little more meat behind her character. I want to portray her sadness a little bit more and her shyness a little bit more. Sure Naruto has helped her grow confident, she's still fresh out of being introverted and recluse.

With all of this said I really hope you enjoyed chapter seventeen and I hope you enjoy this one even more! If you like what you're reading please **review, favorite and follow** , it means the world to me! Without further ado, here's chapter eighteen, enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters besides Asuka, because fuck you that's why. Nor do I own any of the lyrics used in this chapter, those belong to Rae Sremmurd, SPM (H-town fwm), Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley and Bush.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 26th, 2:15 pm._

Ah, the last day of our junior year, a day that seemed to be coming forever. By that I mean it kept getting closer and closer but never came.

But it's here, and the principal, Ms. Tsunade, is going through her final speech for the semester while we sat in the auditorium. It started at two and as usual she likes to drag it on and on. She's done it every year since freshman year, so why break tradition?

Not like we were listening anyways, we didn't _have_ to, to be honest. I like to use this time to reflect on the year, but others just play on their phones, make out or just jack off, sometimes literally...yeah, gross, but some of us are still immature.

So how _did_ this semester go? August was the most boring month by far, we used that month to get re-accustomed to school, the teachers, the classes and seeing each other almost everyday for the next eight or so months.

September was when things really picked up, though. The football season kicked in, and I met the beautiful girl sitting next to me who has her hand in mine, Hinata Hyuuga, so I could consider September to be a success for me. Shikamaru got the news, Sakura got freedom, Sasuke found love with the aforementioned pink haired girl. Even through the shit and stress, it was a good month.

October brought more football, our first concert as a band, and closure in the case of Sakura. It brought pain, but it needed to happen, and we could move on as friends and as a family. Our fucked up family, but our family nonetheless. Also, importantly, me and Hinata became official. Oh, and Temari said yes to Shikamaru. A good month indeed.

November, man, that was interesting. Our family grew by three members. Ino joined us, bringing along Asuka, which has been just amazing. I'm glad to see that woman in a better place than fucking with gangs and dealing drugs out of a run down house for money.

My dad joined my life after eighteen years, and while I was mad at first, I can't say I can complain. Six months later we're finally a family, a full family. Of course, life stops for no one, not man nor woman or animal. And that brings us to...

...December. Man, where do I start? We had the vacation that was cut short due to even more closure coming, this time in the form of Sasuke's dad making a reappearance thanks to the pineapple haired brother of mine. He went through hell, and we had our weeklong spat, but our bonds are even stronger than before.

On the flipside, we lost a hell of a teammate. Choji, man, I hope you're smiling down on us and knowing that we are truly sorry that things had to end the way they did. If I could've done anything I would've, I would've fought like hell to save your life, but we were all too blind to see that you were hurting.

January, for all that had happened before, was a quiet month. We were growing to learn that sometimes life hits the brakes hard, and you have to hold on for dear life so to make sure you don't smack your head against the dashboard.

February started picking up again. The wounds from new years eve were starting to scab over, and sure they would leave some scars, they're not anything that we couldn't handle...together. Valentines day was fun, too. Mom and dad left us alone, so that's the first mistake. I think they did it on purpose. That night was fun either way, I can remember it like it was just yesterday.

 ** _flashback-February 14th, 7:45 pm._**

I know Hinata will love whatever we do, but I'm still stressed the hell out. She was set to be here in fifteen minutes, I had the table set, food was in the oven staying warm and the wine was in the chiller. Wine, not beer, not liquor, wine.

What? I can be fancy...sometimes. Bah, whatever. The lights were turned down low, candles lit, and the rose pedals were all over the place...okay, maybe I should've nixed the rose pedals, not too romantic, but they're gonna be fun as all hell to clean up.

As for the music, well that would have to wait until she got here, which was gonna be any minute now. Time to make sure I look okay.

It was a 'business casual' kinda setting, leaning more towards casual. Looking over my attire, I was pleased. I was dressed in a red and black flannel button up left open, a black shirt on underneath. Along with that was a pair of dark blue washed jeans, and a pair of all black converse were gracing my feet. My hair, well, I tried to keep it kempt, but to no avail.

Reaching for the bottle of cologne I did the chest, armpit and wrist sequence, rubbing it in and taking a deep whiff. "Okay Naruto, this is Hinata-chan, no matter what you do she's gonna love you, but don't blow this!" I told myself in the mirror, flashing myself a smile.

When I left the restroom is when I heard the knock, springing into action and bounding towards the door. Taking a deep breath, I exhaled, swinging the door open to reveal the woman of my dreams standing at the door, smiling when she saw me.

To say I was blown away would be an insult to her. In her rocker attire, she made my heart do flips. She was donning her Slayer tee shirt with a denim vest on over it, yoga pants with a baby blue washed pair of jean booty shorts and full calf converse. Her hair was left to flow, just the way I like it.

I swooped in, stealing a kiss from her, a quick but sweet one. "Hey Hinata-hime." I breathed out, sticking my arm out, offering to take her by my side. "Shall we enter, milady?" My proper accent sucks, but it made her laugh, so there's some points for me.

After her giggling, she accepted my arm, looping hers through it. "Of course, my darling prince." I could never get tired of being called her prince. That is, of course, until she starts calling me her king.

Pulling out her chair I helped her into, kissing the back of her hand gently. Shortly after I returned with the food, which was spaghetti and garlic bread because...damn, that's the only thing I know how to cook good besides barbecue? I need to improve my palette.

Dinner was fine, filled with conversation and eating, and just enjoying each others company. Judging by the smile her face wore for what was pretty much the entire duration of the meal, I'd say I was doing pretty good. And then she started laughing, making me panic a bit. "Naruto-kun, calm down, I'm just laughing because I didn't think you'd do all of _this_ for me." She gestured at the décor.

My heart relaxed, before deciding to come back in my usual witty way. "Well, _princess_ , this is just the beginning." Which was the cue for me to go fetch the wine and two glasses. Placing them on the table, I popped the cork and poured some out, offering her the glass.

She took a sip of it, humming along to the tune of the slow music playing in the background. "How did you know that I loved red wine over white wine?" I shrugged, laughing a bit. Remind me to thank my dad for this.

After we finished a glass, I stood up and offered a hand to her. "Would you like to dance, love?" With a smile, she accepted my offer, standing. Placing my right arm around her waist, I rested my left hand on her shoulder.

Her left arm met my right forearm, her right hand centered on the small of my back as we swayed to the music. The scent of her perfume filled my nostrils, intoxicatingly perfect to her. It was sweet, with an undertone of bitterness, representing her sweetness but also the bitterness she harbors.

At the end of the dance, we stared into each others eyes for a few seconds, before leaning in slowly, encapsulating each other in a deep, long and passionate kiss that seemed to last for a million years. Not that I would mind, I could stay like this forever.

Both my hands centered now on the curve where her back met her rear end. One hand subconsciously moved down, rubbing up and down her toned ass. Deciding to make the first move in this new dance, I gave it a small pinch, making her moan into my mouth. "Oh, so you want to tease?" Wasn't my intention, this was just a warm up, my love.

Firmly grasping her ass with both hands, I pulled her up, forcing her to wrap her legs around my waist. Success! From there, I carried her over to the couch in the living room, laying her down and mounting her, assaulting her lips with my own, never letting up.

I worked her vest and top off, stopping to remove my shirt. Eyeing her near bare chest, I admired the purple and black bra she was wearing. Then she gave me the look, reaching behind her back and removing it, letting her puppies run free.

What followed was some of the most mind blowing sex we've ever had, and even more mind blowing cuddling, followed by falling asleep to each others heartbeat.

Happy valentines day, love.

 _ **flashback end.**_

Ah, that was fun. Where was I? Oh yeah, I remember now.

March, more healing as the scabs started scarring over. We drowned ourselves in alcohol and marijuana for a week, which was fun. I could never argue with that, maybe not all the time, but when it was well placed, man it was the bees knees.

April was another hit the brakes month, nothing major happening. The only thing I can say is never fuck with the girls on April fools day. They knew how to get us right where it hurt, and how to do it and still look like the good guys in the situation.

And that brings us to May. It's not over yet, but I can say that this has been a mighty fine month. A chapter in the book of my life has been closed, leaving me ready to move on to the other chapters. Unfortunately, since this has been quite the good month, I have a sinking feeling that June is gonna be quite the rollercoaster ride, one that might shake us, but it will _not_ break us, I guarantee you that.

 _"And so with this final statement, I wish all of my students good luck and peace in their summer endeavors, and I will see you all in August on the seventh. Have a great summer, stay safe, and prosper!"_

Regardless of how much she drabbled on I still had to give her a hand, as did the few hundred other students that opted to stay behind and listen to her speech. Looking at the row of friends I had with me, we all smiled.

Sharing high fives we started to celebrate the end of a semester and began to talk about the plans we had for the summer. Waterparks, amusement parks, fishing, hanging out, camping, these were some of the things that occupied the calendar for the summer. But through all of this, we all had the same itching thought.

This summer is gonna burn like a motherfucker.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 26th, 3:00 pm._

It was just past three when we got out of the school and towards my car. The plan was simple, Ino, Asuka and Sakura were gonna ride with me in my car to the beach, Shikamaru and Temari would take his car and Sasuke and Naruto would take his truck.

And what a beautiful day to spend three nights on the beach in a gorgeous beach house, supplied by Shikamaru's dad. Apparently it's been in the family for forty years, and they never use it, so they lent it to us for the next three nights.

The newlywed Minato and Kushina were set to be back Saturday, and we'd be back the next morning, so the house was left unguarded...haha, not! You think the Hokage's wife's house would be left unattended? You're tripping then.

Located conveniently off of the newly opened and fittingly named Beachside Speedway, the trip was close to three hours of driving and listening to music while doing what we all have learned to do since the beginning of time. Gossip. I have to admit I hated it at first, but now I realize how we gossip isn't slandering, it's just stating our opinions on certain things and aspects of life.

I kissed Naruto before we got into our separate cars and began the trip. We were smart and loaded everything up in the cars and gassed up before school so we could just leave directly from it, wasting little time. "Hey girls, ready to go?" I asked the three occupants of my Jeep, which was loaded down with bags.

A chorus of three 'hell yeahs!' filled the car as I smiled, lighting up a cigarette and resisting the urge to peel out of this parking lot, joining the three car convoy.

In my car was mine and the girls bags of clothes and other personal belongings, like toiletries and the like, plus our pillows and blankets. It was a fully furnished, four bed, five bath beach house with a fire ring out front of it. Location was key, it was out of any city limits, making it impossible for cops to do anything unless they got called there.

Which was highly unlikely considering the only other places close to it was a some more beach houses but they were at least an eighth of a mile apart. Doesn't seem like a lot until you realize that's two football fields apart. Access road eighty seven was a two mile road spattered with beach houses on either side, but still separate enough.

Also in the car was groceries. Bread, chips, snacks, frozen pizzas for tonight, breakfast stuff like eggs, pancake mix, tortillas, etc. It had dishes, but no doubt we'd have to clean them after sitting there for what was twenty years since it was last used. The only bad part was I was the only one who had hidden compartments, meaning I got stuck with a good amount of the pot, four ounces of it.

The other four were split between the two. So none of us can go to jail for it. I was letting Ino play her party music, for now, it might get on my nerves...eventually.

 _That girl is a real crowd pleaser, small world all her friends know me, young bull livin' like an old geezer, quick release the cash watch it fall slowly._

At least it's a song I know, so we can all sing along. The two rappers looked goofy, in my opinion. "Say, Hinata, what do you think about doing another mini-concert? I loved it when you did it a week ago." I heard Asuka say. I didn't know they actually liked it, I thought it was just the location and the weed.

Smiling, I thought about it for a second before nodding. "I can probably do it tonight when we sit outside by the fire." I blushed at the celebratory dances the girls did. "D-did you guys really like my singing?" My hesitant voice stuttered out, still blushing like crazy.

It didn't help when Sakura planted a big kiss on my cheek. "Of course! You have a really pretty voice!" Okay, turned down the cuteness or I might just catch fire from the heat on my cheeks. And then we crash and most likely die.

Especially on the speedway. Most of it is flanked by a ditch on either side, and woods past the ditches. Two lanes of eighty mph on each side made it easy to get there, but if you hit the side rails going eighty you're screwed. It just opened two days ago so the cops are gonna be extra present for now, until you hit a town called Santo, where they drop off, that town is an hour down the two and a half hour ride on the speedway.

Ino's playlist kept going for the hour, hitting it's end right as soon as we passed the aforementioned town. "Ah, thank god, now we can smoke." I breathed out. I was nervous for some reason. Don't ask me why, I couldn't tell you.

We had two blunts going and the windows halfway down, letting the warm May breeze hit us, puffing and getting high. Is it dangerous? Probably, but life is short and I am young, so shut the hell up.

"Hey, why don't you put on your playlist?" Ino asked me, gesturing at my phone. I don't know, some of these songs on here they might not know, so it won't really be fun for all. "That don't matter, we'll enjoy your music either way." Shit, didn't realize I said that out loud. "It's okay Hinata, lets see what music your packing." Or that.

Defeated, I unlocked my phone and handed it to Sakura. "Go to my playlist labeled 'fourteen/twenty' please." I got a nod from her, as she hit shuffle on it. And the first song that hit surprisingly made all of us burst into song.

 _I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't, holla fuck the world with my chest full of smoke. I choke on my breakfast, the end of my necklace._

They all started swaying and singing, making me smile. At least they know this song. "Damn Hinata, I didn't know you liked to bump shit like this when you're high. We're all gonna have to smoke together more often." Asuka said, taking a long drag off the blunt and exhaling the smoke with theatrics, making me giggle.

 _Why, when I'm not high, does my life feel like it's missing something? I know that I must be high so that I can function._

He brought a good point, the man who was rapping. "Man, I haven't jammed this dude in god knows how long." I exhaled along, cruising along the road at a steady pace.

Only an hour and a half until we reached our temporary paradise. An hour and a half until we were away from the stress in the city, and out kicking off the summer.

* * *

 _6:15 pm._

Okay, it took an extra fifteen minutes because of some slow assholes afraid to do eighty that we had to pass, but nonetheless we were here. "Ayy! It's party time!" We all laughed at the boys antics, they had hopped out of their cars dancing and laughing.

I think they're happier to be here than us, sometimes. They deal with the brunt of a lot of it, so it's only natural to want to escape.

Looking over the beach house, it was amazing. We parked on the side of it, where our three cars fit perfectly under the carport. Moving to the rear there was a back porch with a hammock, fire ring and a bar, perfect for the ice chests.

The front was rather simple, a set of stairs leading to the entrance. There was also ground level entrances, from the rear and side. Those led to a garage of sorts, which was filled with lawn equipment and just junk. Best to steer clear of that.

Not too long after we arrived, we started unloading the groceries, putting the colds in the fridge and freezer, and the other stuff in the various cabinets. Now I get a chance to examine the house, and it was even nicer on the inside. The first thing you see through the front door is a greeting area with a few steps down into the living room, which had a couch facing the left, and it was flanked by another two couches, and a sixty inch TV hung on the wall.

Naruto must have seen this because he looked at Shikamaru weirdly. "Hey Shika, I thought you said the last time your parents were here was, like, fifteen years ago? Cuz that TV looks awfully new." He had a point, it had to be within the past five years.

And Shikamaru seemed equally confused as we were. "I mean, that's the last time _my_ parents went here, I have other family that could have used it, but I doubt they'd be using it anytime in this area, they usually do some primitive camping bullshit the first weekend after school gets out." I'd be down, but I like it here, so...

While the boys were cursing themselves for not bringing the game system, I realized there was already one here, with some of the newest games out. Okay, so maybe the last time it was used wasn't too long ago.

When I saw the boys mini celebration I couldn't help but laugh as I headed outside to grab my bags. Past the living room to the left was the dining room to the right, a dark oak dining table with the perfect amount of seating, eight, for us. And then directly ahead was the kitchen.

It had the basic stuff. A gas stove, oven, microwave, fridge, breakfast bar surrounding it and a dishwasher, which Ino and Asuka were loading full of the dishes that had been sitting here already occupying the cabinets.

A hallway right next to the living room led to the four bedrooms, two doors on each side and at the end of the hallway was a small bathroom, with only a toilet. The bedrooms were identical, with a queen sized bed, complete with headboard and footboard, a night stand on each side, good sized closet, full bathroom, TV and DVD player combo and ceiling fan. I was wondering about the movie collection in the living room.

I found myself in the last room to the left, dropping my bag to the floor and getting ready to change out of my school attire and into something more comfortable.

Heading to the restroom, I undressed from the black pants and girls button up white shirt and got ready to dress into my grey sweatpants, a pair of flip flops and a black tank top, thanking myself for choosing to wear a normal underwear set. For the evening, at least.

I ran a hand over my stomach and down my thighs, smiling sadly at the shape of my body. I wasn't as skinny as Ino or Asuka, but I had my high points. What that blonde haired man ever saw in me is anyone's guess to be honest. My stomach wasn't flat enough and my thighs were big. He swears he likes it, but I don't know man...

Fluffing my hair I tied it back, throwing on the clothes I brought and heading back outside, getting ready to party it up. Nothing drowns your sadness more than loud music, beer, liquor and weed, amirite?

Am I?

* * *

 _8:00 pm._

And thus the party had officially started. Everyone had changed into their best attire for the evening, which wasn't even true, we looked like we were having a pajama party, like we're twelve again. I'd give anything to go back then, it was so carefree and stress free.

We sighed a sigh of relief that there was an ice maker in the garage thingy-majigger, so we didn't have to make a thirty minute drive back to town for some frozen water shaped into cubes. Or ice, as a lot of people call it.

Filling the ice chest up we dumped in what beer and wine cooler fruity girly shit we brought and set them in front of the bar. Afterwards, the fire was lit, chairs set up in a circle and music going. It was a cool yet warm summer night, perfect weather for what we were doing.

"Hey Hinata-chan, what do you want to drink?" My blonde boyfriend asked me, standing to grab himself and me a drink. I suspected he was also going to bring me the guitar, but I needed to get a little drunk before I did that. Liquid courage is the name, and it really does work wonders.

Thinking for a minute, I blindsided him with what I chose to start off with. "Just grab me a beer, sweetie." I smiled at him sweetly. His look was questioning, but he just shrugged, grabbing two beers and popping the tops off the bottles. With a newfound taste for it I swigged it down with a satisfying gulp. I know they were looking at me odd, but they can get over it and suck my ass.

Maybe not quite literally, unless your name is Naruto, then yeah I mean it literally. We'd have to make a journey into the small town tomorrow to get more beer with Temari, since she's the only nineteen year old here. I'm starting to hate that age.

Time passed and six beers later I decided I was finally ready to sing. I don't know what possessed me at the wedding, but it's not here tonight, but here goes nothing. Capo on, tuned up, and here we go...

 _She'd trade Colorado if he'd take her with him. Closes the door before the winter lets the cold in. And wonders if her love is strong enough to make him stay._

 _She's answered by the taillights shining through the window pane._

I know, it's a guys song, but the story is amazing and so is the song. It was a song I had heard in the time we spent in Tea, and if there's one thing they know how to do right, it's definitely music.

 _He said I wanna see you again, but I'm stuck in colder weather. Maybe tomorrow will be better, can I call you then?_

 _She said you're a ramblin' man, you ain't ever gonna change, you got a gypsy soul to blame, and you were born for leaving._

The story is quite simple, really, a man get's tired of his girlfriend and moves around, hence the gypsy reference, blaming the colder weather and storm for his absence, when in reality there is no storm besides the one in his mind.

 _At a truck stop diner just outside of Lincoln. The night as black as the coffee he was drinkin'. And in that waitress' eyes he sees the same ole light shining._

 _And thinks of Colorado, and the girl he left behind him._

This is pretty much self explanatory, he's at a diner outside a city in the middle of the night, drinking coffee when the waitress reminds him of the girl he left behind him, his girlfriend, and so he cheats. Chorus once more, and then...

 _It's a winding road, when you're in the lost and found. You're a lover, I'm a runner, and we go around and around._

 _And I love you but I leave you, I don't want you but I need you, you know it's you who calls me back to here, baby._

Yup, he pretty much admits it. He's a runner, not a lover, unlike the girl he left, and they go around and around in a merry go round type of situation. He then says he loves her but he leaves her, and that he doesn't want her love, but he knows he needs it, and that she will always call him back home, to her, where he belongs.

 _When I close my eyes I see you, no matter where I am, I can smell you perfume through these western pines._

 _I'm with your ghost again, It's a shame about the weather. But I know we'll soon be together, and I can't wait till then._

 _I can't wait till then._

In the closing moments, he reflects on her and her passing, which is of unknown circumstance, knowing that he'll die eventually and they'll be together again, so he can atone for his mistakes and sins against the woman. And he can't wait till then.

I must have had my eyes closed for the majority of the song, because I never noticed everyone looking at me intently and smiling, before clapping at the end of the song.

Honestly, I don't know why, but it made me _sick_ to my stomach. But I swallowed the bile, and forced a strong smile, accepting the praise.

* * *

 _11:00 pm._

Now I was properly hammered, drunk, trashed, wasted, whatever you wanna call it. I played a few more songs, mostly happy ones this time, and drank a lot more beer, admiring the fire. Through all of the alcoholic haze I was in, I noticed only one thing.

Ino and Asuka had shared a simple hand signal, tapping there noses and smiling before leaving the back porch and going inside. "Hey, er, imma have to go use the restroom really quick, Naru." I slurred out, kissing him on the cheek and heading inside, following the blonde and red heads. I knew what this meant, and I wanted in.

I followed their footsteps inside, calling out to them quietly. "Huh? Oh, wassup Hinata?" Ino had answered my little 'hey' for attention. It's not that she seemed not interested in talking to me, she was on a mission though.

All I did was tap my nose just like they had, and their faces went confused for a second, before Asuka spoke up. "Hina, you...you know wha' that means, right?" She halfway slurred out, trying to keep her words straight so she made more sense.

Nodding, I smiled at them. They smiled back, waving me forward to their room where we were going to do this. "What'd ya bring?" I asked, shutting the door behind me quietly, as to not alarm anyone outside. Like they could hear us in the house through the music playing outside anyways, that and I doubt that they'd really care right now, to be honest.

My answer was found in the form of the baggie that had the brown powder I had grown to love in it. With the door locked we sat there and did a few lines each, getting a good but slight buzz from the opioid powder.

"Ne, Hinata, I didn't think you did anything like this. You always seem so, well, happy. Especially now that you have the knucklehead and all of us to be there for you."

Honestly that made sense, but at the same time. "It's always the ones that seem the happiest that really hurt the much, Ino, Asuka." I said, in a plain and sober voice, before the effects of the drugs hit me, making me melt down into a calm and euphoric state. Mixed with the alcohol, I was on cloud nine.

Hopefully no one noticed, and the alcoholic haze we were all in would hide my obvious tweaked-out eyes and actions.

* * *

 _12:45 am._

I had to separate myself from the others, taking my guitar to the front porch and sat down, strumming through some mindless chords until a song came to me, a cigarette resting in the ashtray on the porch table. I took a long drag off the cigarette, before seeing the song I wanted to play in the midst of the smoke that was flowing from my mouth and into the air.

 _She put him out, like the burning end of a midnight cigarette, she broke his heart. He spent his whole life trying to forget._

 _We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time, but he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind, until the night._

It was a somber ballad of a couple that was love struck, before that turned into hurt drowned out by alcohol, ending firstly with the man, well, drinking himself to death, quite literally, too.

 _He put that bottle to his head, and pulled the trigger, and finally drank away her memory. Life is short, but this time it was bigger, than the strength he had to get up off his knees._

 _We found him with his face down in the pillow, with a note that said I love her till I die. And when we buried him beneath the willow, the angel sang a whiskey lullaby._

Quite fitting for the whiskey and coke I was sipping on. Twas a sad story, yes, but I didn't care right now. I was coming down and needed the alcohol and cigarettes to lift me back up. I paused before the second verse after the lala's to take a gulp of the strong drink I made and inhale some more tobacco smoke.

 _The rumors flew, but nobody knew how much she blamed herself, for years and years, she tried hide the whiskey on her breath._

 _We watched her drink her pain away a little at a time, but she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind, until the night._

 _She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger, and finally drank away his memory. Life is short, but this time it was bigger, than the strength she had to get up off her knees._

 _We found her with her face down in the pillow, clinging to his picture for dear life. We laid her next to him beneath the willow, while the angel sang a whiskey lullaby._

The song ended somberly with plucking guitars and an outro of some more lala's. Downing the rest of my drink, I felt it hit me when I stood up, catching a second wind.

Now it's time to party.

* * *

 _4:00 am._

People were dropping like flies, bowing out and heading inside. First was Ino and Asuka at two, Sasuke and Sakura at three fifteen and Naruto said he was done a few minutes ago leaving me up with Shikamaru and Temari.

We were just sitting on the back porch around the fire throwing back beer after beer and blunt after blunt, the smoke from the two creators rising through the lattice roofing that covered the back porch. Temari was too pregnant to really do anything besides smoke a little to ease the pains in her back and feet. It's a win-win situation, you get to get high and kill pain at the same time.

I stared mindlessly into the fire, watching it crackle and flow in it's irregular patterns. "Who would've thought that the last two standing would be the new girl and the lazy motherfucker, am I right?" Temari laughed out, not knowing that I was the perfect amount of drunk that numbed me.

Looking up I smiled at her, but it was a flat and dead one, making her face turn from joy to sorrow. "Hinata, what's wrong? That song you sung earlier was pretty damn dark and you were really into it, I could tell just by the way you sung it that you're hurting." Damn you Shikamaru and your abilities to know when someone needs help.

Do I want help? Not really, I'm surviving just fine...ok not just fine, but I've seen worse. "I just really like that song, there's nothing really wrong with me." It would help convince them better if I wasn't slamming a beer and talking monotonously.

Of course they didn't fall for it, their faces getting more serious and focused. I should really work on becoming a better liar. "Hinata, you know you can trust us with anything, right?" What kind of question was that? Of course I could...I think.

But what was I supposed to say? I have no legit reason to be sad or depressed, I have everything I need and so much more, so what can I be sad about? Sure, my mom isn't around any longer and that's no fun, but I had no control over it and it's been years since then, so I've had time to cope and grieve, plenty of time. So, what was I supposed to tell them? Does anyone even know?

All I could manage is a bit of stuttering and flustering. "Guys, I know you're worried, but it's really nothing." Seeing their faces, which were still stone cold serious, I sighed, accepting defeat. "Okay, fine, I've been a little, er, _sad_ recently. Satisfied?" Why was I annoyed, they were only trying to help.

With a shake of her head, Temari scooted her chair closer to mine. "Well, not really, we'll be satisfied whenever you stop being 'sad' and start being happy again, you deserve it, we _all_ deserve to be happy." Shikamaru backed this up with a strong nod of his head.

"Yep, so get used to us being caring and worried, cuz we ain't going nowhere until you tell us what's troubling you." Joy, just what I wanted while I was getting wasted.

But they were deadest on me telling them, so I hunkered down and prepared for this. "Honestly, I just don't think I'm good enough sometimes. For anything, from my dad's praises to being with Naruto-kun. He's been nothing but good to me, and I've been rather moody recently. Sure there were a couple of months I was ok, but..." Yea, lets not.

They nodded their heads slowly in unison, making me laugh a little. "Mhmm, and why exactly would you think that you aren't enough?" Good question, I just hope that you're prepared for the answer you were about to get.

Sighing deeply my head sank down, eyes misting over. "Because...I don't have the prettiest figure, I'm moody, I used to be addicted to heroin so I'm still fighting that, I have family issues, just issues in general. I find it hard to be happy sometimes, and tonight was no exception, I numbed myself with alcohol so I don't feel _anything_ at all." And that wasn't all of it, either.

"Other than that I'm still a bit sad everytime I think of my mother or father, I'm trying my hardest to make them proud, especially my father. He, my sister and Neji are all I have left blood family wise, the others are spread out." And there's the rest of it.

Silence overcame us for a few minutes, eating away at me. I closed my eyes and let a few tears roll down before I jumped at the feeling of four arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a warm hug. It didn't help my tears, only making them come more and more.

Temari was the one who spoke first, mumbling into my ear some comforting words. "Hey, you know we'll always be here for you. I know this is Naruto's job to tell you things like this, but you're a beautiful young woman, and we all love you, none more than Naruto though." Naruto...that man loves me a little too much, honestly. But I like it.

"What she said, you get the same treatment the rest of our family gets from me, which means I'd do the same I did for Sasuke, for you, if it ever came down to it. When we said welcome to the family, we meant it, you're family, and as such we have a right, as brothers and sisters, to be worried about you." Shika must have taught Naruto how to speak, because his words struck deep.

I sniffled a bit, opening my eyes and smiling at them. "Thank you, guys, I needed that." Patting their backs stiffly they released me. Shikamaru ruffled my hair, making me swat at his hand. "Oi, I like my hair the way it is, thank you very much."

After this, we decided it's best if we just call it a night, extinguishing the fire and sealing up the outside, bidding each other a good night and heading off to our own rooms.

It was four thirty when I got to mine and Naruto's room, cracking the door open slowly and looking inside the room. He was passed out in just his boxers on the bed, his body left uncovered by anything. I held back any giggles, shutting the door softly behind me and locking it.

Stripping down I got undress into just my regular, plain black bra and panties. Gazing over at him I felt my privates throb when I saw the outline of his member ever so softly pressing against the boxers he was wearing tonight. Hmm, we've done a lot of things, but I've never given him wake up sex before.

Should I? The growing wetness and heat between my legs said yes. I walked over to his side of the bed, looking down on him. How was I gonna do thins without waking him up? Who am I kidding, he's a heavy sleeper. I stuck a finger under the waistband of his boxers before sliding two more under it, lifting the waistband and tugging the front of his underwear down.

Next, I reached on either side of him and grasped the edges of his boxers near his ass and gently pulled the back of his boxers down all the way, making it easier to get the front down. Once I got the front down, I just stared at his cock, my mouth watering. I had only seen his cock once when it was soft, and I didn't get the chance to fully look and appreciate it's shape and size.

He really did deserve this, as much as he's been with me since day one he deserves this more than anything. I reached a hand out tentatively and slowly, careful to not wake the sleeping man in the bed, and poked his member, checking how deep he was in slumber.

I was relieved to see that he barely moved a muscle, just lightly snoring away. Well, there's no better time than now. Wrapping my fingers around his member I gave it a little tug, rubbing it slowly and smoothly, trying not to stir him awake.

Letting my other hand wander down into my panties I started rubbing myself slowly, biting back moans, focusing mainly on rubbing my partners cock, which was slowly getting harder and harder by the second. I know he's not awake, so why is it getting hard?

I've heard of girls doing this before and not waking them, so I'm assuming it's something to do with...well...I don't know, I'm no expert in biology. All I know is he was halfway to hardness when I sank to my knees, teasing his head with my tongue, doing this until he was one hundred percent hard.

Testing the waters I put the first two inches in my mouth, eyeing him and making sure he wasn't stirring. Once I confirmed he was fully asleep I started taking more and more of his seven inch cock into my mouth, making sure to take caution in doing so. I went down all the way, swallowing his member in a sense, choking off my air supply for a few seconds before retreating for air.

A few minutes later I was slurping on, shocked to find his slumber this deep. Then again, he was drunk off his ass when he laid down, and I know how deep that slumber can get. One time his mom was in his ear shouting that the house was on fire while pelting him in the stomach and he still slept.

Even though he's asleep I know he can't take much more, and he'll be cumming soon, but I just don't know when. Normally he'd warn me but I don't have the pleasure of that commodity right now, just judging by when it twitches.

His cock twitched majorly, tipping me off that he had reached his limit. I stopped sucking, opting to rub him to the edge. I saw it start, quickly throwing my mouth over his member, which was exploding with twitches, shooting his seed into my mouth.

Satisfied I swallowed the massive loud within a couple of gulps, savoring the taste. "Damn man, I just sucked you off and you're still asleep?" I muttered lowly under my breath, planning out my next move, thinking of what to do next with his sleeping self.

Choosing to continue I fully undressed, getting bare before him and carefully crawled into bed, and even more carefully swinging a leg over his hips, straddling him gently and lining his cock up with my entrance.

It found it's mark, sliding perfectly into my soaking wet entrance. I bit my lip, trying not to moan too loud as I sat fully down, allowing all of him to enter me.

Lifting my hips and lowering them softly I thrusted his cock into me slowly but effectively, making me moan the softest and, admittedly, cutest moans I've ever heard myself let out. Too bad he's not awake to hear them, I'm sure he'd be driven crazy by them.

Honestly I'm really glad I did this, it's a rush trying to get him and myself off without waking him up, which was proving to be actually easy when he's drunk. I realized that when I felt myself getting close to my end, my pussy was quivering in anticipation of what was about to come. Ha, get it, _come_. I know, my pun game isn't strong, so get over it and stuff.

And it came strongly, as I clenched around his cock, leaking juices and holding back moans as an orgasm rocked me. When it ended I realized he hadn't came again, choosing to switch holes, letting his member slide into my tight asshole.

Did I like anal? Actually yeah, I like the pain mixed with pleasure. It felt like he was tearing my entrance apart, stretching me out over his cock, but I didn't budge due to the pain, giving it permission to go all the way in, something that took a lot of patience and tolerance.

Doing the same thing as before, I started letting it pump in and out of me slowly, my moans replaced by groans at the feeling of him stretch out my asshole. If this didn't make him cum then I don't know what will, honestly, I'm throwing everything I have at him.

I almost drew blood with how hard I was biting my lip, stopping myself from moaning and groaning out too loud. It only took four or five minutes until he got to twitching, warning me of the incoming flow of semen that was coming soon.

But, without warning, it came, filling me up with his sperm as he finally started stirring awake, one of his eyes slowly opening. "Hina?" He said sleepily, realization of what was happening setting in. He moaned out in pleasure of the feeling of me being filled up with his cum.

Looking him in the eye I shushed him, dismounting and licking the leftover cum off of his dick with pleasure. "Mmm, you tasted good tonight, Naruto-kun." I smiled at him teasingly, licking my luscious lips in a manner that made him twitch again. "Did you enjoy waking up to that?" I asked, feeling the sperm slowly drip from my stretched and fucked asshole.

Before I knew it he was off the bed, pinning me against the wall and kissing me deeply on the mouth. "I did, but I wasn't awake for that. Now I am, though, so I hope you're ready for some more." His voice was lined with lust and sexiness, making my legs tremble.

Nodding I agreed, allowing him to throw me onto the bed roughly. In a matter of seconds he was lined up with my pussy, thrusting his entire member into it roughly. I gasped out in pleasure as he wasted no time in finding a rhythm, pounding into me hard and fast.

I did nothing to hold my moans back, letting them out finally. Not too loud, though, don't wanna wake anyone up. Within a few minutes he was filling me up again with his hot cum, so much that it spilled freely from me and onto the floor below my hips, which were hanging ever so slightly off the bed.

We were both done, beat from the multiple rounds we had went through. I gazed over at the clock, which read five thirty. I had to be up at nine to cook breakfast like I said I would, so I needed some sleep.

It would've helped if we didn't have another go in the shower, but I got to sleep at six thirty, drifting off next to the love of my life, both of us satisfied with the events that transpired in the past two hours.

Or so I would hope.

* * *

 _9:15 am._

Yeah I got a late start to the morning, but everyone else was dead asleep from last night. As long as I started cooking by ten I'd be fine. But right now I poured me a cup of the strongest coffee I could make, swiping my cigarettes from the bar and guitar from the living room and headed for the front porch.

The thing I liked about the front porch is the bedroom windows are a good distance from the porch and no one would be woke up by my gentle strumming. What was I playing? Well, that's best answered in the form of song.

 _Love and hate, get it wrong, she cut me right back down to size. Sleep the day, let it fade, who was there to take your place?_

 _No one knows, never will, mostly me but mostly you, what do you say, do you do, when it all comes down?_

It was the acoustic version of the song, so it was more chill than the actual song, which is driven by guitar riffs and pounding drums, especially in the chorus.

 _I don't wanna come back down from this cloud. It's taken me all this time to find out what I need. I don't wanna come back down from this cloud. It's taken me all this, all this tii-i-i-i-ime._

Some people say it's about being popular, but I think it's more about drugs. I mean, really now, he's talking about coming down. What do you do when you're out of drugs and can't take anymore? You _comedown_. See?

 _There is no blame, only shame, when you beg you just complain. The more I come the more I try, all police are paranoid._

 _So am I, so's the future, so are you, be a creature. What do you say, do you do, when it all comes down?_

The chorus was a copy and paste of the other one, same chords and lyrics, but the next part was what really made me think it was about drugs.

 _Shoot up, shoot up, shoot up, you're high!_

He's telling you to 'shoot up'. Yeah no this song is definitely about drugs, at least to me it is. It can mean whatever it wants to anyone else, but to me it signifies someone who is addicted to a drug and doesn't wanna comedown from the cloud they're perched on.

Finishing the song strongly I set the guitar to the side and sipped the coffee with cream and sugar I prepared and lit up a cigarette. Deciding to get high at the same time I reached into my bag and grabbed the foil container. Inside of it was a crisp blunt, ready to be lit and used. Torching the end of it I inhaled a long hit somehow managing to not choke on the smoke.

Just then, a car pulled up making me quickly drop the blunt to my side in fear of it being an undercover cop. When the person got out they waved at me politely, smiling brightly. It was a young woman, my age easily, with unnatural red hair brimming and spilling from the backwards ball cap she was sporting.

Eyeing her weirdly she showed her hands, saying she was innocent. "Ne, I come in peace, the dumb shits at the beach house we're staying at down the road forgot to bring milk for our breakfast and sent me to get some, I was just wondering if I could borrow some." She spoke calmly from down the stairs.

I sighed a sigh of relief, raising the blunt again and hitting it, waving for her to come up. "Yeah, we have plenty right now so I'll lend you some. Hinata." I stuck my hand out to the girl, shaking her hand and waiting for her introduction.

"Tayuya, pleasure to meet you." Tayuya huh? I like that name. "I didn't think I'd see someone out front smoking weed, though, I didn't even think you guys would be up honestly, when we drove down here at two in the morning you all were up partying."

Laughing I nodded, puffing the cigarette that was sitting in the ashtray. "True, but I'm up to cook, mainly because I recover from drinking fast. I was up till almost seven too, so that just shows you how good I am at recuperating quickly."

She whistled in amazement of what I just said, giving me a quiet round of applause. "Damn girl, I couldn't do that shit, my ass would be fucking asleep right now. Do you mind if I hit that?" Shaking my head I passed the brown weed filled cigar to her, letting her hit it a few times. "Dank, I like this." She muttered out while exhaling.

For the next ten minutes we sat around and talked and got stoned. I learned that she is my age, eighteen to be precise, and is here with four other guys, which must be fun.

I couldn't imagine being single and being here with four other guys while partying, they must be running a train on her...hate to say it but yeah. "But they know better than to hit on me. Sakon and Ukon are gay for each other, pretty much, Jiroubo is a big softy with a gentle heart and Kidoumaru treats me like a little sister." Well that answers that, at least. I can sleep easy.

After handing her the milk she needed I bid her a farewell, watching her leave down the road in her pickup truck. I headed back inside, finding Shikamaru at the bar sipping on some coffee already.

"Good morning, Shikamaru." I brimmed at him, my smile shining brightly this morning. I guess it made him happy to see me happy, as he smiled too. "What has you up this early?" I asked, curious about why he'd be up well before breakfast.

He pointed at the room he was sleeping in. "She was having a hard time sleeping last night so I stayed up helping her sleep, I barely caught an hour. I figured since you were about to cook I'd come out here, help out, get high, eat and then nap for a couple of hours." He raised the blunt he was smoking and hit it.

Making an 'oh' face, I walked into the kitchen and began preparing what I would need. "I didn't even know we could smoke in here, honestly, or else I would've just done it in here instead of out there. Some woman named Tayuya came and asked for some milk and we ended up smoking, though." Seeing his face get serious when I said her name I looked at him weirdly, indicating confusion.

Waving my confusion off he took a gulp of coffee. "Ne, didn't catch her last name did you?" I shook my head, grabbing a bowl and dumping the pancake mix in there. "Did she have red hair, wore a backwards baseball cap, vulgar and talked about Sakon, Ukon, Jiroubo and Kidoumaru a lot?" How did he know all of this?

Nodding, I prepared to ask him how he knew about that when he interrupted me. "Yep, that's my cousin Tayuya alright. Figures she'd know about the beach houses down here, honestly. Can't believe she still hangs around those idiots though." He caught my glare, shrugging his shoulders. "What? I keep up with my family."

Laughing, I kept on making breakfast, enjoying the smell of the eggs and bacon frying up and the pancakes sizzling in the pan. It's a lot better than a lot of mornings I've had in the last six months, so I can't complain.

That and I loved cooking, so yeah, today is gonna be a good day.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, if I guessed right there's over eight thousand words of Hinata's point of view writing. I didn't mean for it to go this far, but it did, and I'm kinda...happy it did, the way it turned out was amazing in my opinion. Next chapter will be back to the mix, but I might do another majority point of view chapter, I honestly don't know. I like to mix things up and make them new and fresh, but I almost ran out of steam.

But fear not, I found my second wind and started churning out words and ideas and put them into this story. I can't thank y'all enough for reading this little venture of mine into the world of fanfiction, I always enjoyed putting my ideas into something and seeing how it turned out. I'd still be doing this even if only five people read it, honestly, because it's my passion, but the views I've been getting have blown me away.

Now, if you enjoy this story and what you've read I can't beg enough that you leave me reviews and favorite/follow this project. As always, ja ne!


	19. Sleep

**A/N:** Yeah this chapter has a _lot_ of sex in it, so if you feel uncomfortable with it I'll be uploading the next chapter as well at the same time. This has little plot evolution, it's just a lemon chapter which is what I wanted to have to progress characters in their sex lives. That and I actually like writing lemons for some weird reason, I can get inventive and creative with what happens and who all get's involved.

Some people like lemons, some don't, I get it, so **chapter twenty** will be _lemon-free_ which isn't a bad thing to me, but like I said with this chapter I just wanted to throw in the sexual side of things and show some inventiveness and creativity with them, instead of one on ones and stuff like that or solos. Other than that there's a character debut in this chapter AND next chapter, so yay!

No songs in this chapter, I beat that to death in chapter eighteen so I'll let it rest for now. Next chapter there may be some in there but I doubt it'll be as much as there was in chapter eighteen. Without further ado please _**read, review, follow and favorite**_ and as always, enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters besides the red headed Asuka and her antics, so blah.

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 27th, 9:45 am._

Man, that's the last time I mix alcohol with drugs, that shit gives me a hella bad hangover. I let my eyes flutter slowly open, trying to recall the memories of last night with a pained face and a groan to go with it.

I remember the drive with Hinata and smoking weed, getting here, setting up, drinking, doing drugs with Asuka and Hinata, drinking more and passing out. Wait...doing drugs with Hinata? Damn, last night really was one helluva night. Now I'm in bed, topless in only panties with my girlfriend, who was also topless in just her panties. Go figure.

My skin was clammy and sticky with sweat, and my head was pounding, eyes burning at the little bit of sun leaking through the curtains. Hopping up I rushed over to the curtains and swiped them completely shut before finding my way to the bathroom.

When I looked in the mirror my hair was all fussed up and wild from the tossing and turning I did this morning. "Good grief Ino, remember to set the A/C on before you go to bed tonight." I muttered to myself, squeezing toothpaste onto the toothbrush and brushing my teeth, killing any bad odors there may be.

But I did need a shower, so brushing them was rather pointless when I could've done it in the shower. Oh well, time to get naked. I turned the hot water on, balancing it out perfectly with some cold water and stepped into the bath, turning the shower on and letting the water flow out of the head and over my body, wetting my hair and making it return to it's normal state of flowing blondeness.

Did me and Asuka have sex last night? I think we were _too_ fucked up to even think about it. I let a hand wander down in between my legs, sighing when I didn't feel sore or anything down there, meaning we didn't have any drunk sex.

A yawn hit me hard as I tried to bathe myself awake, only to fail miserably. "I know it's Asuka's job, Ino, but there's only one way to really get a good start to this morning right now." Yep, masturbation, something I haven't had to do in forever.

Gently I lowered myself onto my rear end, sitting down in the shower and turning the head off, letting the tub fill up. I spotted some bubble bath, oddly, and laughed out loud a little bit before dropping some into the bath, whisking it around to form the bubbles.

Honestly, I don't know why but I've been thinking about dick recently. It's weird, I love Asuka to death and man she can make me cum so hard, but the feeling of a pork sword pounding into me has been so tempting. Maybe I can convince Asuka to have threesome with a guy sometime...

In all of this time I was thinking about it in the shower, I barely noticed my fingers absentmindedly drifting to my pussy and fingering it deeply but slowly, making me gasp out at the feeling suddenly hitting me. How long had I been doing this for?

Couldn't have been too short of a time, because I felt the pressure building up. Exploding with an intensity I haven't felt in a while I bit my lip hard, trying not to moan out too loud and wake Asuka up. I ended up being a whimpering mess on the floor of the tub, my legs and hands trembling still from the orgasm that, in essence, assaulted my body and, well, it woke me up, so I can't complain.

I got out of the shower and entered the room again after drying off, heading over to the bag and choosing the clothes I wanted to wear for the day and night.

Settling on a pair of dark wash jean booty shorts, plain yellow tee shirt and a pair of flip flops for now I smiled at my outfit. Basic but cute as fuck, right? I think so, and I think that's all that matters, honestly. Underneath was just a deep purple bra and matching panties, nothing special.

It's Friday fuckin' night though, so we're about to go hard in the paint, bitches! It was ten thirty by the time I got out of the shower and dressed, taking a whiff and smelling breakfast being cooked by the lovely Hinata. Better wake up Asuka.

Shaking her I watched as she flopped over onto her back and opened her eyes, smiling softly at me. "Hey baby, breakfast is almost done so if you wanna shower or something go ahead" I kissed her on the forehead, rubbing her shoulder gently.

She nodded softly, standing up and waltzing her way to the restroom, shaking her ass seductively on the way there. I laughed, walking up to her and slapping it. "Later, love, right now I'm sure we're both starving for _real_ food." The look on her face made me giggle a little bit more, but I left the bedroom and entered the living room/kitchen area.

Hinata was indeed cooking, Shikamaru was drinking coffee, Temari was in the shower, Naruto had just woke up, more hungover than any of us, Sasuke was making his way out here with Sakura and I was surprisingly awake and cheery today, for some reason. I guess I needed a good fingering and orgasm to wake myself up and get my body and brain moving. Whatever works.

I took a seat at the bar, pouring some coffee into a cup and mixing in some cream and sugar before sipping it, humming out a satisfactory tune, happy with the flavor I got from the coffee. "Good morning Ino, sleep well?" Hinata asked me, still flipping pancakes and making eggs.

This woman knew how to cook, whereas Naruto..."I did, looks like Naruto had a _great_ time last night." I giggled out alongside Hinata, who just shot him a glare.

"Ne, Naruto, you look like you just did an obstacle course filled with cactus pit jumps, swimming with sharks and doing a ten mile run in the desert with nothing but crocs and a speedo on." Shikamaru added, jabbing at Naruto's apparent disliking of cacti, sharks, crocs and speedos.

All the blonde haired man could do was form a middle finger, telling us to piss off. "Awe, is Naruto a little _hungover_?" Sasuke asked, walking towards the aforementioned hungover man and ruffled his hair roughly, laughing when he tried to swat his hand away. "Calm down, we're just fucking with you."

Naruto, while he was hungover, just craned his head over to everyone and tried to speak. "Fuck...off...teme..." Was all he could groan out before burying his face in his hands and moaning in pain. Hopefully breakfast will help him feel better.

Fifteen minutes later we were served breakfast, chowing down on the food Hinata had made us. Asuka and Temari joined us five minutes after that, the red head taking a seat next to me at the bar and stuffing her face with the eggs, bacon and pancakes that were provided

So far today is off to a good start, and the schedule is simple. Temari is gonna take Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto to town to get the stuff we need for the day, Hinata and Shika have some stuff to handle with our neighbors down the road, which all I caught was something about cousin, leaving me and Asuka to just hang out and do whatever we want for the day until the crew gets back.

Once everyone left, I took a seat on the couch and put on a movie, Asuka snuggling in next to me. I guess if there's a good time to ask her, now is as good as any. "Asuka, do you mind if I ask you a kinda weird question?" She turned her head to look at me, just smiling.

"Of course, you know you can ask me anything love." Her bright and shining smile shone right into my eyes, sending a warm feeling into my body. I'm just glad I have the ability to make someone smile like that.

Taking a deep breath I tried to figure out the best way to word it. "Okay, so, um, what would you think about maybe, _possibly_ , having a...threesome?" I asked awkwardly, gauging her reaction, which wasn't bad but it wasn't good, it was just her plain and mute face looking at me.

And then she smiled again, laughing out a little bit. "I thought you'd never ask, honestly." I heard her laugh out, laying a hand on my lap. "I'm always down to try new things and venture a little bit. But the best question is who? Another girl or another guy?" Does it matter? I guess it does.

I bit my lip and poked my fingers together, a habit I picked up from Hinata. "Ne, I was thinking another guy, you have to admit it's been awhile since we've felt a real cock right?" To my relief she nodded, rubbing the inside of my thighs gently. "We can also try another girl, yano? I think both would be really fun." In all honesty I just want a big, fat, juicy and meaty cock, but I'll do both.

She nodded in agreement, putting her other hand in a thinking position. "That doe seem like fun, I just could never say it honestly, so thanks for bringing it up baby." Her lips met mine in one of those quick lover's kisses. "So, who do you think would be the best guy for us to seduce or trick into sleeping with us?" Not a damn idea, love.

My thoughts floated over to who we could talk to, I mean, who _do_ we know that's single and ready to mingle? Nobody, really, besides some people at school, and those are people that we either don't like or wouldn't sleep with. Kiba is a douche so no, Lee just graduated and he's a gentleman, and Shino, well, I think he's gay but I'm not sure.

Woman wise it's actually still hard, Hinata and Sakura are taken so that leaves...no one really. I've always dreamt of Tsunade-sama's big, busty breasts in my face but she's, what, fifty something? I don't think I could sleep with a grandma.

Then it struck me, I had been thinking about a threesome this entire time when there was always another option. "Ne, what about a foursome?" Asuka turned and looked at me weird, making me pause to explain. "I mean, we find another couple our age and do what some call 'swinging', yano?" Her face scrunched up in thought.

Within a few seconds it dawned on her what exactly I was talking about. "Ah, I get you hime, but this just takes us back to the question of who. Shika and Temari aren't an option, really, she's not like that, Sasuke and Sakura have an exclusive thing going on with the whole BDSM thing, and that just leaves Naruto and Hinata." Hmm...

Naruto and Hinata, I know Hinata has done lesbian things with Sakura, but I'm not sure how she'd feel about him, well, fucking us, or how he'd feel about her doing things with us...ha, who am I kidding, that's pretty much every mans dream, right? Right?

I'm not sure, I'm not well versed in the whole relationship thing besides mine and Asuka's which is rather strange and open.

Not open in the sense where we can sleep with anyone else, but open in the sense that we talk about anything with each other, and that we don't keep secrets and keep ideas to ourselves. We like new and exciting things and things that bring adventure and excitement to us, including a threesome or even a foursome.

At the same time, Hinata seems like the greedy kind of girl, so I doubt she'd really be down to share Naruto with any other woman, even though she knows we're lesbians and don't really find men romantically attractive. It's been a long time since I've been with a man, but that just makes me even surer that I love Asuka wholeheartedly and without any doubts. She's the love of my life.

Although, I do wonder what the dark haired woman is up to with Shikamaru, their leaving with each other is pretty strange.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 27th, 11:45 am._ **  
**

"There, that's the truck she was driving, parked at that beach house to the right."

Yep, that's the same truck she's driven for the past two years, and there's Sakon and Ukon's stupid drag car they've been building up for the past two years as well, those two guys creep me out to the max man, but what can ya do?

I pulled to the side of the road and parked in front of the entrance, sighing and turning the car off, listening to it wind down. "Yeah, I know, she's had it for a while. Let's go get this done so we can get back." I sighed out, swinging the door open and planting my feet on the ground.

With Hinata in tow we walked up the stairs to the front door and knocked. "I'm coming, just hold yer horses!" We heard the voice of a man I know yell out and footsteps made their way to the door. "Who is it-ah hell, Tayuya! Shikamaru is here!" The darker skinned man known as Kidoumaru yelled out.

Footsteps came down the hallway accompanied by the voice of my red headed cousin. "Shikamaru? That can't be fuckin' right, the sonuva bitch wouldn't know we're here-oh." She cut herself off when she saw me standing at the door. And then she grinned. "Well, there's the sonuva bitch cousin of mine, get ya ass over here and hug me!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms open.

Smirking, I wrapped one arm around her and hugged her gently. "Okay, alright, enough hugging, you know why I'm here cousin." I said, my face turning serious as hers turned to match mine. With a strong nod she ushered me into the house, shutting the door behind us.

We were lead to her bedroom, where we took a seat on the bed. She turned to the dresser and started digging through the drawers. "I had a feeling this day would come, I just didn't think you'd be the one to call upon my services, 'cuz." I know she's beating around the bush, she just needs to get to the point.

A sigh came from my lips as I buried my head into my hands. "Stop beating around the bush, please, I want to get back to our beach house and take a nap, Temari had me up all night. I love that woman to death, but I feel like the 'death' part may be coming sooner rather than later, most likely due to sleep deprivation." No lie, she keeps me up all night half the time.

"Aha! Found em." Yeah, right, 'found them'. Like you would ever misplace these things. Her hands emerged from the drawer with a bottle of pills in them. "They're not my usual forte, but I always carry sleeping pills ready to sell...kinda, I do use em myself, but that's a different story for another fuckin' time."

Yeah, I know, sleeping pills. As much as I hate to resort to using them I kinda need to unless I don't want to get any sleep. "Thanks Tayuya, I don't usually resort to stuff like this, just pot, but I'm gonna need that extra kick to my head." Figuratively, of course, or she'd _actually_ kick me in the head, crazy bitch.

In just a minute she bagged up fifteen of the things and stuck them out, the other hand outstretched for the money I owed her. I dug into my pocket and grabbed my wallet, forking over the fifty bucks I owed her for this, which she received with a smile and a bow. "What're y'all doing at the old beach house anyways?" It was a fair question.

For the most part it get's left untouched, even by her, as made obvious by the fact that she rented this one out. "We needed a place to come get away from the village for a while and dad suggested we come out here the last day of school. Mom and dad are at the primitive bullshit camping." Her reaction was mine too, making a grossed out face.

Except she punctuated it by fake throwing up. "Ugh, I can't _stand_ that shit, it pisses me off. If I'm gonna go camping imma be smoking some dank ass weed like Ms. Hinata has here." True, Hinata has been known to get some bomb stuff. "That's that shit I love, almost kinda hate being in Oto right now, Konoha seems to have some hot babes and dank weed, better than before we moved that's for sure."

On the contrary I can't stand Oto, their Kage looks like the biggest pedophile I've ever seen. "Well, we're gonna get going, if you wanna stop by and holler at us later you have my phone number." I said, standing and giving her another hug and waltzing out of the house, waving goodbye to Kidoumaru and Jiroubo.

Halfway down the road Hinata finally spoke, it was like she forgot to back there. "Ne, do you think you can trust her? She seems...sketchy, at best." True, she's a sketchy woman after all, but she isn't one to fuck people over, cuz it meant she'd lose customers, and she loves her money.

I just shook my head, laughing a bit at Hinata's suspicion. "Nah, she wouldn't screw me over, she knows I could have her ass in trouble in two point five seconds if she ever tried any funny business." At her weird look at me I just laughed a little more. "Her parents, they'd kill her." That clicked in Hinata's head as it started making sense to her.

The drive was quiet, the brakes on my vehicle squealing a tiny bit as I parked next to Hinata's jeep, Naruto's truck gone to town with him, Sasuke and Sakura in tow.

Not wasting anytime I walked into the house and went straight for the room, ignoring the two ladies cuddling on the couch, only stopping to grab a water from the fridge to take the medicine with.

When I got to my room I quickly locked the door and stripped down to my underwear, taking two of the pills and swallowing them down with some water before stowing the baggy in my clothes bag wrapped in a pair of my pants. Now we wait for them to kick in, which happened within fifteen minutes of me laying down.

Before I drifted off to sleep my phone buzzed, a text from Tayuya. _"Ne, tell Hinata I wanna buy a few g's off of her, and ask her if she knows any babes ;)"_ I just laughed at my cousins antics, forwarding the text to Hinata before I set my phone down, finally falling asleep for a peaceful slumber...I hope.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 27th, 11:45 am._

By the time we made it into the small village that was closest to the beach house it was noon, leaving us two hours to get charcoal, hot dogs and the fixings for it, more liquor and then make it back by two to two thirty to wake Shikamaru up from his nap and start cooking.

Although I will admit Naruto's hungover driving is remarkably good, it saved us from missing the road we needed to turn on and almost certainly getting lost.

First place was the grocery store. Naruto sent me and Sakura in there to grab the supplies while they tracked down a liquor store, which shouldn't be too hard, I'd hope, even for a dummy like Naruto. Then again, he has Temari with him, and she'll keep him in good shape, so there's nothing to really fear right now.

I looked over the list in my hands before I handed it off to Sakura, and it was what you'd expect. Hot dogs, buns, chips, dip, chili, cheese, relish for the pregnant lady and her cravings, pickles for, well, you get the idea, soda for the liquor, cups and some hot and icy for Temari's feet. I get that they get tired easy, and I'm just thanking the heavens that I'm not the one putting it on.

Sakura returned to me with a shopping cart and grabbed the list from me and looked it over. "Hmm, this shouldn't be too hard to get honestly, I just hope they aren't gone forever, I didn't see anything close to a liquor store around here." True, but women have their ways.

Our little shopping adventure only took thirty minutes as I shot Naruto a text asking him where they were. He responded with _"just a few minutes down the road, see you soon"_. I hope he's only a few minutes down the road, some of the people in the store were looking at us weird, they knew what we were doing.

We had all the stuff for your textbook party minus the alcohol, which we couldn't buy just yet. Shrugging the looks off we headed to get in line and check out. The lady who was checking us out was a little blonde girl, who had to have only been about sixteen, and looked disinterested in her job.

Overall the total was just over forty bucks, half of what they gave us to spend. With a lazy thank you and a have a nice day we left the store, waiting for the two blondes to find their way back to us. The more I think about it, sending to blondes to find something and return in time wasn't the brightest idea we could've came up with. I sighed, standing with my arm around Sakura's waist.

A few minutes later they came pulling up, and Naruto got out to help us load up the stuff. Their trip to the liquor store wasn't very interesting, they just picked up a few bottles and a couple of cases of beer, which were stowed under the bench seating in the back of his truck.

With that, we were off, back to the beach house, where things were surely uninteresting and boring right now, with half the people gone. "Ne, since we're a bit early, do you guys wanna stop and check out this store right here?" Temari strangely asked us, pointing at the store with the sign 'Bizarre Bazaar'.

We all just shrugged our shoulders, agreeing to check it out. "I don't see why not, it looks like it has some cool stuff in it." I said, trying to catch a glimpse of what was inside of it when we parked. From the outside, it looked like a sex shop to be honest.

But once we got inside, we found it to be more of a sex _and_ smoke shop, which is a genius idea, they go hand in hand. "You two boys go look somewhere other than where we are, it would be weird for all of us to be looking at sex gear." Sakura had a good point, leaving me and Naruto to the smoke shop side.

We glanced over what they had, a large selection of pipes, from weed to crack pipes, awkwardly. "Shit, look at this pipe." I heard Naruto say from the side of me with wide eyes, pointing at the biggest pipe I had ever seen in my life.

The little advert for it said the bowl could fit up to four ounces of ground up or otherwise broken down dope in it. I whistled in agreement, putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder and chuckling a bit at it. "Yeah, that's what I like to call a one hitter quitter, you feel me?" I asked him, as he slowly nodded his head, agreeing with me fully. But the price sucked, that's the only bad part.

In the end we left with just some pre-emptied wraps for the stuff we did have, which were cheaper than actual cigarillos. Temari and Sakura were blushing for some reason, but we chose to ignore it, not really wanting to know what the reasoning for it was.

Chances are it was just something absurdly sexual or something they saw, nothing really of interest.

I wonder what the crew is up to though.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 27th, 12:15 pm._ **  
**

We had just gotten back from Tayuya and her beach house a few minutes ago, and Shika was already in bed. Poor man, he can't catch a break with Temari, but he's stayed strong, and that's the most important part. A man that won't bend nor break is the one you should take, I've heard.

I also heard Ino calling for me from the living room, beckoning me to come over and talk about something, whatever it may be. Probably something dumb, but oh well.

Making my way over to the couches I took a seat on one of the ones they weren't occupying. "What's up guys?" I asked the couple, who seemed a little flustered in their faces. Did we almost walk in on something, or something?

They both looked at each other and blushed a little before looking at me, smiling just a bit. "Er, I'm not really sure how to ask this..." Ino started, her sentence trailing off into space, only picked up by Asuka, who tried her hand at speaking.

She visibly gulped and took a deep breath before attempting to talk to me. Was I suddenly a scary person to talk to? "Yeah, it's a weird question to ask you, so I'll totally understand if you say no or summin'." Damn it man, just spit it out already so I can go get high and chill. Cooking breakfast drained me of what little energy I had.

Ino, once more, started to talk, trying to put her words together right. "See, me and Asuka were talking and we were wondering if you and Naruto would maybe be interested in having a little, er, foursome, with me and Asuka?" A foursome? Yeah, that's a weird question alright. "And if not, maybe you have some advice to give us about looking for a couple?" She added the last part quickly.

My face went to serious thought for a second, before I smirked, and the smirk turned into laughter. "You don't have to be afraid to ask me anything, guys." I started, taking that weight off their chest. "And as for the idea, I think it would be fun, yeah, it's just up to Naruto, but I think he'll say yeah." I think, but I'm not for sure.

Their faces turned from worried to happy, kinda, as they seemed relieved that I didn't flip out. "Well I really hope he does, it's kind of a weird thing yeah but me and Ino love trying new things, it keeps the relationship fun and ten times more interesting." True enough Asuka, the only concern is it feeling weird for Naruto.

Putting my hands on my knees, I stood up and faced them. "I think he will, but here's a little something..." I trailed off, walking over to the couple and leaning close to their faces, my breath hitting the, softly. "...to look forward to." Without another word I crashed my lips down onto Asuka's, thrusting my hand in between Ino's legs.

I deepened the kiss on Asuka's lips, rubbing my hand up and down the crotch of Ino's shorts, the heat rising between her legs as she gently gasped out in pleasure. "H-Hina, enough, or else we'll end up just having a t-t-threesome." Ino gasped out, removing my hand as I broke the kiss with Asuka.

Smiling, I then kissed Ino the same way, only a lot shorter, breaking it quickly. "Sure thing, Ino- _chan_." I teased with a wink. And then I heard my phone vibrate, a forwarded text from Shikamaru. Nodding to the three g's part, I laughed at the babes thing. "If anything, there's a cute girl down the road looking for a threesome." I'm assuming.

It's a fair assumption, right? They looked at me weird before I explained to them who Tayuya was. "Oh, well if she's cute tell her to come here and get the stuff now so we can take a good look at her." Nodding I texted the number that Shika sent me, telling her to come scoop right now.

Not even a minute later I got the confirmation text, along with _"wish I would've thought of this shit while y'all were here, but I didn't think you had some of that good shit on you."_ She was a vulgar one indeed, I can only imagine what she sounded like in bed.

Deciding to give her a heads up I texted her again, letting her know that Ino and Asuka were wanting to have a threesome with another girl and sent her a picture of them I had saved on my phone from spring break, which was them in bikinis.

The response I got made me laugh, garnering weird looks from the two girls. _"Damn lil momma, ight I see how it is, you hook me up with bud AND two hot babes, we might just become the bestest of best friends :)"_

Ten minutes passed and she was here, shooting me a text to come outside and meet her. I did, walking outside to see her motion for me to come down there. When I got to her car window I saw her dressed in her best, a top that showed major cleavage from her C-cup chest and the shortest short shorts I've ever seen in my life. "Like what I dressed in, Hinata?" She ask in her sultriest voice.

Giggling a bit I just nodded, grabbing the weed from my pocket and exchanging it with her for twenty bucks. "I didn't even pay for half of it so we're not picky on selling it a bit cheap." I informed her. She nodded, stowing it in her glove compartment and popped her door open, shut her truck off and stepped out.

It was then I saw her perfectly shaped and toned butt, that was sure to win over the blonde and red headed girl. "I see you looking, wanna make it a foursome?" Her wink she sent my way made me blush, but I shook my head.

"I-I would, but I've only ever been with one girl and-" I was cut off sharply by her lips meeting mine in a bit of Deja Vu from earlier. Her hand floated to my ass, gripping it tightly through the yoga pants I was wearing, making me stifle a little moan into a whimper.

The kiss was broken as sharply as it was initiated, leaving both of us gasping for breath. "Hmph, a shame really, but maybe next time?" I felt the heat between my legs rise the tiniest amount as she flung her hair over her shoulder and walked away, swaying her ass teasingly.

Groaning a little, I walked up behind her and planted a hand on her rear end firmly, swinging her around into a kiss of my own, making her eyes shoot open in surprise before they slowly shut in pleasure. I lifted her leg up onto my hip, running a hand down into her shorts and teased her entrance slightly before breaking the encounter off. "Truly it would be a shame if I didn't join y'all, maybe I will after all." I wiped my lips, smirking in victory.

She smiled brightly at me as we entered the house, finding our two victims on the couch where they were before. "That's them?" She whispered her question in my ear, eliciting a nod from me. "Well then, follow my lead and watch how a pro does it." A pro, okay, this makes me feel a bit better.

We took a seat on either side of them, per Tayuya's instruction, and leaned into them. "This is Tayuya, guys, Tayuya this is Asuka and Ino." I introduced her to the pair, who were blushing a small amount from the sudden contact.

Still blushing, they nodded to her, watching her nod back. The position she was sitting in was perfect, showing off her cleavage perfectly as she leaned back a bit. "Man, I'm beat from staying up all last night, I just want to _wind down_ and have some _fun_." Her hint dropping was so subtle but so perfectly placed and timed.

I took the initiative from Tayuya, running a hand down Asuka's thigh gently. "Yeah, you guys know how to wind down and have some fun, right?" I was enjoying myself, making the two girls in the middle blush madly and stutter out incoherent responses.

Asuka's leg trembled at my touch, quivering and shaking. "H-Hinata, what are you d-doing? What a-about N-N-Naruto?" Good question, but little did they know that me and Naruto have been talking for the past few months about trying out a three or foursome with other girls or a guy and girl. Mainly other girls, he felt weird being around some other guys penis, it's a guy thing, I get it.

Grabbing my phone from my pocket I went to the text I sent to Naruto and the response. The first one read. _"Ino and Asuka wanna have a foursome, down?"_ and the answer I got was _"Sure, work out an idea or something with them please, you're better at talking."_. I laughed at the looks on their faces, my hand rubbing a bit closer to her crotch.

Looking over to Tayuya I saw her trail a hand down Ino's shoulder and arm as light as a feather. "You know, I think it's _sexy_ when a girl blushes." If Ino was a vegetable, she'd most definitely be a tomato right now with the dark red covering her face.

This was almost a little too much fun. I leaned close to Asuka's face and whispered in her ear, my hot breath tickling it. "Ne, Asuka- _chan_ , don't you wanna have some fun with me and Tayuya-chan over there? We'd _really_ enjoy it." For more emphasis I kissed her cheek sweetly, letting my hand massage her inner thighs.

Said thighs were building heat and moisture and she tried to control herself. "N-not c-c-cool guys." Ino stuttered out, trying to ignore Tayuya's hand massaging her sides.

But just then a small moan came from Asuka's lips. Checkmate. "Oh? Does little Asuka-chan like the way I'm touching here?" I said in a dominant tone, going deeper with the massage she was receiving, my hands bumping against her zipper, making her whimper gently.

Tayuya continued her work on Ino, moving her hand up her shirt and under her bra. I took her lead, running my hand into Asuka's pants, rubbing her clit through the panties she had on. "Mmm, Hi-Hinata, I-I-I give, l-let's g-go to t-the r-r-room." Say no more Asuka. Despite not being all that strong I scooped the red head up into my arms and carried her to their room, Ino in Tayuya's arms following shortly.

It's not like we were gonna give up control, standing the girls up and removing their shirts and bra's, followed by their panties. Tayuya looked Ino over, licking her lips seductively before undressing herself. I followed suit, undressing and setting my clothes aside.

Me and Tayuya acted as if we were twins, pushing the girls onto the bed and forcing their legs apart, taking a look at their soaking wet pussies. We shared a quick look, winking at each other and diving our faces into them.

Man are we lucky that Shikamaru was rock solid asleep. We went from eating them out, to scissoring with them, to me eating out Tayuya while she was eating out Ino while Asuka at me out. We were all over the bed, orgasming at least three times each, probably more.

By the end of that we walked out of the room redressed and smirking victoriously, leaving the two lovers laying on the bed naked and exhausted.

Once we got to the back porch we laughed and high fived each other, wiping a tear from our eyes. "Man, you did amazing, are you sure you've only been with one other girl?" Tayuya asked me, watching me nod my head. "Well make it four now, I can't believe we had them like that." She continued laughing.

I can't believe we had them like that either, they were like clay in our hands. "It was fun though, maybe if you visit Konoha sometime you can join me and Naruto, he's always down for some fun." Especially with how good she looks.

We shared a quick kiss before she left, just a few minutes before Naruto and the others got home with the stuff we needed. If earlier was anything, I know tonight is gonna be even more fun than earlier.

That's if they can recover quick enough after all.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 27th, 6:00 pm._

Ya know, I may not be the smartest person, but even _I_ know when my girlfriend is acting just a wee but weird this week. I don't know where she found her newfound love for beer out of nowhere, and not that I mind, but it's just a little weird when she never really cared for it before.

We had just ate dinner, hot dogs and chips, and it was about time to start the drinking again. Still, I can't help but hope this'll all blow over and she'll return to her normal self again so we can get ready for what this summer holds. I was planning something big for us on the fourth of July, if I can keep it under wraps.

I popped the top on a beer for me and Hinata, passing hers off to her and watching her drink it like it was nothing, something that usually only comes from drinking beer and only beer for a while. "Ne, Naruto-kun, can you come talk to me about something real quick?" Hinata asked me, motioning for me to follow her inside the house, where we can talk in private.

Following her she led me to the living room, sitting down on a couch. I sat next to her and looked at her. "What's up Hinata-chan?" Although I knew what this was about, it's best to just ask and not assume, especially with women.

She took another sip of her drink and set it down next to her feet, throwing her hair back behind her head. "I just wanted to talk about the thing with Ino and Asuka tonight, how are you feeling about this? Because I don't wanna rush things or make you feel uncomfortable in any way at all." How did I feel about it, that's a good question.

Really, how did I feel about it? Not like it mattered, to be honest, I'm pretty much cheating with permission. I don't wanna put it that way at all, but it's the reality. But it would be really fun and interesting, we get to explore our sexuality a little bit more.

And if it doesn't work out, well we don't do it again, right? "Well, I think it'll be a fun time honestly, and as long as you're ok with it I am love, I just don't wanna make you mad or make you feel any type of uncomfortable way." I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Thank god she at least still blushes when I kiss her like that.

Once her blush subsided she cleared her throat. "It won't be for me, baby, you know that, I just want to think about you. You're always thinking about me and doing things for me and I realized, well, I don't really do the same for you most of the time." She doesn't sometimes, yeah, but that's okay, I drug her out of her recluse lifestyle and into this, an open and party lifestyle.

Smiling, I took her hand in mine and rubbed it softly, feeling her smooth skin under my fingers. "Hinata, I pulled you from being shy and closed to more brash and open, so it's ok if you're not perfect at things and make mistakes. Anyways, like I said, you'll always be perfect to me." Ah there's the blush I know and love.

If I ever lost that effect on her, I think I'd be devastated. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure before we moved forward with anything." But she's getting better at being a people person. "Naru-kun, do you think we'll ever grow apart from each other? Or, like, grow tired of each other?" The question blindsided me, making me stop for a second.

When I recovered from being taken aback my smile returned to my face. "Hime, the promises we made meant that we agreed we would never." I gestured at the ring she had hanging around her neck off a silver chain. "And I mean it, I always will, you're the best thing to happen to me _ever_." I just hope she means it, too.

"I'm really glad you feel the same way, Naruto-kun, now shall we return to the party?" I smiled and nodded, kissing her on the lips quickly before heading back down.

* * *

 _May 27th, 11:00 pm._

It was almost show time, man. They made me go into the restroom to get undressed and ready while they stayed out there getting ready. Why? I don't even know and I don't even care. It's just hard to get 'in the mood' when two of the girls are friends of mine and lesbian.

Er, bisexual right now, I guess. Look I'm not the best with the alternative romantics and sexualities, so don't expect much from me, okay? Good, glad we got that over with.

But I digress, let's get back to the subject at hand which is _I'm about to have a foursome with three very good looking women_ , and one of them is the girl I've grown to love over these past months, so yeah I don't know what the fuck to do. I haven't even had a threesome yet, let alone doing it with three other girls, and ones I know too, so if I fuck up I'm kinda screwed.

Thinking about it, I have to admit that Ino and Asuka are good looking though. Ino has a nice chest, decent behind and a pretty face to go with it, and Asuka has a better, bigger chest, more toned and shaped ass and a pair of lips that'd go well with any penis.

Yep, and there's my boner, it was hard to find it through all of the stress and shit, even if it is just a half a boner. Am I ready to do this? Might as well, I'm already naked and I'm assuming that the girls are too, waiting on me.

I took a deep breath, mentally prepared myself and swung the bathroom door open, and what I was greeted by was the final blow, making my cock spring up harder than it was a minute ago. The three girls I'd be sleeping with tonight were all naked, on their knees in front of the door with their hair tied back, ready for me to come out.

Without a word I walked forward to the blonde haired Ino in the middle, taking in a sharp breath when she gripped my member softly with her small, cold hands, and pumped her hands back and forth, solidifying my erection. "Mmm, Naruto, I didn't believe that you were _this_ big." I heard Ino say, putting the tip of my cock into her mouth.

She swirled her tongue over the head, sending a waved of pleasure through my body. At the same time, Asuka to my right and Hinata to my left, they each started rubbing and massaging my sack, even taking a nut in their mouth and sucking on it.

My mind didn't know what to think at this trio of pleasurable acts, sending scrambled thoughts that made it hard not to bust a nut already. I managed to hang out for about five minutes before I felt it coming, tapping Ino's head to let her know.

All three of the girls withdrew from their actions and tilted their head back and opened their mouths, ready to catch what was coming. Rubbing myself to an orgasm I felt it hit me, making my legs tremble as I fired off squirts of hot cum onto each of the girls faces and into their open mouths. They caught it all happily, even licking the leftovers off of each others faces.

Like they were on a mission they stood up at the same time, running hands down my body. "Ne, Naruto-kun, we all want a little creampie, are you gonna let us down, huh? I don't think _we'd_ like that very much." Damn Hinata and her smooth, sexy tone she uses.

Asuka was next, taking to my right side and moving a hand up and down my back. "But the good question is, which one of us is first, Naruto... _kun_..." I decided to take the initiative and slap Asuka's ass firmly.

Letting out a gasp she looked at me, to which I shrugged. "You're first, Asuka- _chan_ , I know how much you want my big, hard cock in your tight little pussy." Admittedly I wasn't the best at dirty talk, but it worked, getting the point across to her.

I led her to the bed and laid her down onto her back, forcibly spreading her legs. She had a really good looking pussy, I'll say, giving it a good licking before I dove into her, making her moan out in pleasure.

Wasting little time I warmed her up good before I lined my cock up with her entrance, prodding it gently and feeling the tightness. "Mm, please be gentle, it's been years since I've slept with a man that had a good sized cock like you." I heard her moan out, garnering a nod from me. I pushed the tip in slowly, groaning loudly at how tight she really was, her insides squeezing tightly against the intruder.

After I managed to get it halfway in I started my thrusts, getting her to warm up and stretch out, which she eventually did. She was in full on moan mode, laying limp from the feelings she was getting, allowing me to ragdoll her around with my thrusts in and out of her.

Unfortunately a man can only take so much of a tight, wet pussy before he loses his head. "Ah, you're so tight Asuka, I bet your asshole is even tighter." I saw her nod, an idea popping into my head. "I'm gonna give you an anal creampie, okay?" I asked, seeing her think about it before nodding slowly.

Nodding I exited her, gazing at the hole I just stretched out before using my hand to spread her juices down to her asshole for lube. Doing the same as before I poked and prodded her rear entrance, feeling it's tightness, which was tighter than anything I've ever felt before.

She sucked in her breath, giving me the signal to just do it. And I did, forcing my cock into her, only making it in halfway before it stopped. When she released her breath it was followed by whimpers and tears. I didn't stop though, pushing deeper and harder, getting all the way in. I grunted, started to try and find a rhythm but finding it more difficult than I thought.

When I did, it wasn't long before I spurted my cum into her ass, filling her to the brim with it as she moaned and took it all in. I pulled out, watching a tiny bit of it drip out of her now gaping asshole. "T-that w-w-was my f-first time d-doing a-a-anal, thank y-you for being g-g-gentle." Asuka thanked me, scooting out of the way.

I didn't realize that Hinata and Ino were busy fingering each other, keeping each other warmed up. "Ino, you're up next." I grabbed her arm, laying her on the bed on her hands and knees and quickly entering her, a moan rushing from her lips and into the room.

Yeah, she knew I wasn't playing games with her when I grabbed her arms and forced her to go face down on the bed, giving me more access to her dripping wet and throbbing pussy. Pinning her arms together with one hand I grabbed her hair and pulled her head back roughly, leaning in and giving her a bright red hickey on her neck.

"Just a little something to remember this night from in the morning." I whispered in her ear, making her whimper before it hit me. Her walls tightened around my erection as she screamed out in ecstasy, having an orgasm and squirting all over my cock. I could barely manage myself, burying all seven inches of me inside her and pumping cum into her, letting her join the club.

And that just left Hinata. I had the best plans for her, though. "You, my love, are gonna eat the cum out of them while I fuck you." My newfound demanding tone made her tremble and nod in agreement. Quickly I bent her over in front of Asuka, watching her tongue work on her asshole and pussy.

With a strong thrusting motion I buried myself inside of Hinata, thrusting hard and fast with a popping noise caused by my balls slapping her snatch. She moaned into Asuka, making Asuka cum on Hinata's face, adding to the juices she was licking up.

Once I saw that she was done with Asuka, I walked her over to the right to Ino. With no words needing to be said she got to work, licking and sucking whatever cum she could get from Ino's pussy, eventually making the blonde woman orgasm again, leaking out her cum and mine at the same time.

And with that I was done, cum erupting from the tip of my cock and into Hinata's insides. "Mmm, fill me up Naruto-kun." I did as she asked, squeezing as much as I could out of my cock and into her. I removed myself from her and threw her on the bed. Ino and Asuka knew what to do, getting to work on eating the cum out of her.

It was done, it was all over, I was out of energy and so were they, eating Hinata out to an orgasm, draining her of her last bit of energy.

* * *

 _12:45 am._

I laid in bed with the three girls after the acts still naked. We took a minute to clean up but saved showers for later. "So..." Asuka started, looking over to us. "That was an amazing time you guys, I've never had an orgasm that good." She said, smiling at us.

We all smiled back at her, giving her a nod. "Yeah, I was nervous at first, but once we found a groove I think it was a good time." I said, my arm wrapped around Hinata in a lovingly way. Giving her a kiss on the cheek she blushed, kissing me back.

In our minds was all the same thought. "Don't we need to get back to the party?" Ino asked, her brow furrowing up in thought, before we all shook our heads and laughed a little bit. "Nah you're right, there's no way I could drink after this." The blonde agreed with our head shakes.

Hinata looked at them and me and smiled evilly, running a hand down my chest. "There is _one_ thing I could drink right now, though, what do you say?" I gulped, not ready for another round but having no choice. "Wanna give us some more cum, babe?"

How could I say no to that face?

* * *

 **A/N:** Fin! I am done with lemons for a bit now. This chapter was over sexual yes but I don't care right now. I promise this will be the last time I have a chapter that's mainly just a huge lemon unless, of course, the story is about just having sex. I think in that instance you could forgive me, and I hope you forgive me for this, and enjoy the twin chapter release. Ja ne!


	20. Epiphany

**A/N:** Chapter two of my special twin chapter release for the summer is here! Yeah I decided to release two chapters not only to celebrate the end of May but the beginning of the summer (even if here, in Texas, our summer starts in pretty much the end of April) and for the people who don't really like lemons, since chapter nineteen was a big ass lemon party because even I have my moments.

This chapter is what you may call a basic party chapter, but it has some character development, a friendship that's growing and a drinking contest with a surprise winner that some of you may not see coming...but then again you guys _are_ smart and know me by now, it's been twenty chapters and I don't remember how many months off the top of my head.

If you've enjoyed what you've read so far I may be working on a second story sometime soon, if I can manage writing both this and the new one, or if anything I might slowly piece together a one shot of around twenty to thirty thousand words. If you have any theme or plot suggestions for a one-shot, new story or a spin-off one-shot of this story, please let me know. As usual, please **_read, review, follow and favorite_** if you so choose, and enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters besides Asuka because dammit, she's mine! Oh, and the lyrics belong to Sublime and Staind, respectively, so all rights go to those two kickass bands!

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 28th, 1:00 pm._

Man were we sore from last night when we woke up, the memories still fresh in our heads. I woke up at eleven if I'm right and made me some oatmeal, thank god today was 'make your own breakfast' day.

Sasuke had told me that when we left they had a fairly interesting night. Tayuya stopped by for a little bit with Kidoumaru and Jiroubo while we were doing our thing and hung out. They all drank a little but they were still preparing for today. What is today, you might ask? Well apparently its a drinking contest involving everyone who _can_ drink.

I wasn't sure how well I would fare in that, but I did well Thursday night so I can imagine I'll do okay tonight, especially if I put my head to it, hunkered down and threw them back like fifty year old veteran who has nothing better to do than remember the fallen and drink.

The rules were rather simple, we'll tally up beers and mixed drinks, all mixed drinks will be made by Temari since she won't be drinking and at any time we can choose to make them stronger as a group decision, you're allowed to throw up once, unless it's intentionally caused by sabotage, like if someone knows something makes you throw up even when sober and does it anyways to trigger you.

No eating after dinner, so eat a big dinner which will be pizza tonight so it's at least bready and filling enough to hold you over. Should you choose to smoke any weed and crossfade yourself, you're making that choice at your own discretion, so if you lose because of that it's your fault, we're not counting marijuana.

But if you do win while crossfaded then you get mad props, at least from me, which doesn't mean much of anything, but still...

Was I gonna do it? Fuck yeah, might as well. If I have a small chance of winning then I might as well go all out so if I _do_ win, however small a chance that is, it'll be just that much more impressive. Still not something I wanna right home to the folks about, but hey, a win is a win and I enjoy bragging rights sometimes.

What did the winner get? Well, besides bragging rights...nothing really. But the rights to say 'I outdrank all you guys and girls' is worth more than money or sex. Well, maybe not sex, but it's close enough.

Right now was a relaxing time for me, the boys were throwing the football, Ino and Asuka were watching a movie with Temari and Sakura, well, she just walked into mine and Naruto's room and took a seat on the bed. "Hey Hinata, how you feeling?" I know what she wants to talk about, she wants to talk about last night.

Smiling at her I motioned for her to lay next to me, which she did, stretching out a little bit. "Ne, I'm a little sore but otherwise...happy, fulfilled and ready to outdrink everyone tonight. How're you feeling 'Suka?" I looked over to her and saw her smile at me.

"I'm doing pretty good, but you know me better than that 'Nata, you know I want the juicy details of last nights ménage." Of course she did, but did she want me to go into _full_ detail? Or just what happened?

She's getting full details though, so she can get over it. "My lord Sakura, I had never seen him so dominant and commanding, the orgasms we had can't be topped by anything at all, when he filled us up with his, well, yano, it was the best feeling in the world." I went on, eyes filled with passion about it. And then I told her about the whole eating cum thing, which made her look at me weird.

Her face went from confused to kinda curious. "Really? He did that?" I nodded slowly, accentuating my story. "That's...fucking hot...it kinda turns me on too." She laughed, resting her hand on my shoulder.

Laughing with her I agreed, it was fucking hot. And then what happened after was just a cluster. "Yeah, but we're all a little sore, especially Asuka, she took her first time doing anal pretty well, and with Naruto's, er, member, it was impressive to me. She hadn't even as much as fingered herself there before." I know, kinda weird.

Sakura nodded, trying to recall her first time with Sasuke. "Well, it wasn't bad at all with Sasuke considering I had used toys down there before. The first time I used a toy in that hole it was painful, but once you get over it it's pretty exhilarating." Once again I have to agree. "But...it's weird, I don't wanna offend you but I've been thinking about how Naruto is in bed recently, for some reason."

I waved off any offense she might have done me, and just laughed. "It's ok to be curious, that's how me and Naruto got to do that stuff with Ino and Asuka. Do you think there's any chance of our two couples doing that?" It's not something I'd be closed to, except Naruto may be, it's his best friend after all.

The pink haired girl next to me shrugged. "I don't know, honestly, but I would be down if you are." She smiled when she saw me nod. "I think I would enjoy it, and so would you, just the hard part is convincing either of em." Yeah...but we have our ways.

A few minutes passed and me and Sakura ended up cuddling, holding each other in a friendly embrace. I kept thinking back to the party, before me an Naruto go together.

How young and shy I was, but Sakura really did her best to open me up, almost literally. And the truth is I owe a lot to her for helping me be the person I am today, better than the one I was yesterday. I don't use drugs...often, besides weed, I have friends I can trust now. I'm doing _good_ for the first time in a while.

Looking at her in my arms I smiled, kissing the top of her head. "I owe you a thanks, Sakura-chan, you really helped me open up and be more sociable, and thought it may have hurt you guys were there for me the entire time, so thanks." She looked at me and smiled, kissing my cheek gently.

"It's not a problem at all, we've had some good times together, some _sexy_ ," I blushed at the wink she sent me, trying not to get excited down under, "and most importantly, we've all found ourselves a man, or woman, to call our own, we're all doing good, and I'm glad you're doing good with us too."

Fighting back tears I smiled and pulled her into me deeper, cherishing the moment we were sharing. Sakura is the definition of bae, to me at least.

* * *

 _2:00 pm._

Somewhere along the line we fell asleep, taking a nap together in each others arms only to be woken up by Temari, who was now convinced we were seriously lesbian and using the guys as a cover, something we vehemently denied, of course, and blushed like crazy.

Apparently we needed to get up and not sleep if we wanted to have any chance of winning tonight. Sakura wasn't competing to win, just for fun, but I was competing to win the whole thing. "Yeah, I learned if you drink right after waking up you end up sucking." Was Temari's reasoning.

When were we supposed to start though? I heard six, but then I heard seven, so which is it?

I headed to my bag, trying to change into something that wasn't so, er, sleepy and tired. Digging through it I found what I was looking for, something I haven't worn in a while, which was a pair of black basketball shorts and a tight fit black tee shirt. I tightened the strings on the shorts so they were snug with my hips, concealing the panties I was wearing, the shirt doing the job up top.

Throwing on my converse and brushing my hair I headed outside to sit and smoke a blunt, hopefully by myself. I like smoking with other people but sometimes it's good to just get away from people and be by yourself.

Rounding the corner to the side of the house I hopped up on an A/C unit big enough for me and another person, setting my phone, cigarette pack, blunt and lighter down on it. Popping a cigarette in my mouth I lit it, the weed following soon after as smoke dribbled from both devices of vices.

On the other side of where I was I could hear the men still throwing the football and yelling at each other about grass stains. I was wondering why this was called a beach house when it's mostly grass around us down a cracked up road, and the beach at the end of said road is pretty much inaccessible.

From what I've heard, which was whispers from Shika and the others, is that the beach is a drug haven for I/V users to dump needles. Sheesh, no wonder no one in his family wants to come down here and stay here. Especially if there's a ton of druggies around here, they're not your adventurous and accepting type of people, according to the pineapple haired Shikamaru.

His mom and dad aren't so bad, neither is Tayuya obviously, but the others are just eh. I managed to get halfway through a smoking session when someone interrupted. I must say that hallway isn't bad though, I expected someone before this.

Who interrupted me, you may ask? "Oi, the dobe is looking for you, I figured I'd find you hiding out somewhere after waking up." Sasuke said, somehow finding me and relaying the message. "Oh, and Temari is right, you don't wanna sleep too much, especially with my girlfriend, at least invite us first." Wait, what was that?

Did...did Sasuke just make a joke like that? I never thought I'd see the day when the man opened up and made references like that. Maybe me and Sakura's pipe dream isn't so much of a pipe dream anymore, more like a ten percent success chance. Ten percent is better than negative ten, so I'll take those numbers any day.

I never got the chance to reply before he walked off. Naruto can wait though, I'm finishing this damn blunt. "Smoking that dank without me? I'm fuckin' offended, mama."

Ok, maybe not alone. The fiery red head Tayuya showed up just now, I knew someone driving up woulda saw me, just wasn't expecting it. "Well I can't wait around all day for you to show up, Tayuya-chan." I smiled at the girl, who hopped up on the A/C unit I was sitting on, wrapping me in a hug.

This girl loves her damn hugs, I swear. Not that I mind, she's a great hugger, but still. "I'm just yanking your chain and slapping your ass, girl, the others don't even know I'm here yet so we can finish this uninterrupted." It would've been interruption free if you didn't show up as well as Sasuke, just saying...

When we finished we turned to leave, Tayuya leading the way. I don't know what it is about this girl but she attracts me so much with the way she looks and dresses, not so much her actions and mannerisms but her in general. I pushed that aside when I found the man I was looking for. "Hey Naruto-kun, what'd you wanna talk about?" I asked him after giving him a kiss on the lips.

"Oh, nothing I just wondered where you were, Sakura said she thought you were changing." I obviously did, look at me dummy. "And I see you did." Ah you do? Well isn't that a Christmas miracle.

Why was I being so snappy right now? I just got to get high, albeit with two interruptions, I got some sleep with my best friend, I had a cigarette, I'm nowhere nears close to being on my period and I'm not hungry, so what's up with me?

Maybe I'm just getting in the zone for the contest...no, it doesn't mean _that_ much to me. Breathe, Hinata, it's ok. "Ah, yeah I'm just getting comfy for the night and trying to relax myself. It still gets a little taxing being around a bunch of people, yano?" He nodded, wrapping me in a one armed hug, a welcome one that I needed.

Needed because his hugs always bring my internal and external smile back no matter what mood I'm in, one of the reasons I love him to death.

He released me after a minute and looked over my attire, noticing the tightness of the shirt pressing against my tits. "Uh, you look good." He awkwardly laughed, just staring as I pressed my boobs together while laughing. "Drinking contest is starting at six, are you ready?" He asked, trying to change the topic quickly.

I bit my lip and gave him an innocent but flirty look. "Ne, Naru-kun, it's ok to stare at me, I am your girlfriend after all." Seeing him breathe a sigh of relief, literally, brought another laugh from me. "And yeah, I'm ready to win." I know he was trying so hard not to laugh at the thought, instead trying to be supportive. "And kick your ass."

That last part was just trying to spur him to be more competitive, which he needs to be, he can't always be the supportive and caring boyfriend, we can have little contests like this and be competitive. "Oh really? Since when did little Hinata become a drinking champion? Last time I checked before we came out here you barely kept up with Sakura, and she's a lightweight." There we go, lay it on me.

Smirking confidently I put a hand on my hip, thinking back to Thursday. "Well, I _did_ outlast you on Thursday night, love, and I was just messing around then, so who's to say I can't now?" It's a half truth, not like I can say 'well it's easy to drink yourself to death when you feel dead inside'. That wouldn't go well, I'm sure.

Now I had him on the defensive, sputtering out excuses as I just laughed, flipping my hair over my shoulder and walking off, leaving him in a sputtering mess by the front porch. "Wow, ya really told that motherfucker." I heard Tayuya say from where I was heading, around the corner again.

"Well, someone has to show the boys they aren't all that sometimes, and sometimes it has to be the formerly quiet and shy girl." I just shrugged, hopping back up on the unit from before and lighting another smoke. "You wanna smoke some more 'dank'?" I asked, getting a nod from her. "My room is first one to the left, grab my bag please."

With another nod she was off. Little did she know, or anyone else for that matter, that I had brought some really personal stuff stowed away in my back pack. I'm talking the strongest stuff I've ever smoked, it'll put even the most seasoned stoner on his or her ass easily.

About the time I finished my cigarette Tayuya rounded the corner with my bag in hand. "Sorry, had to say what's up to Ino and Asuka, they told me y'all had some real fun last night." I beat back a blush and just nodded. "Pity I wasn't here, but what's in the bag?"

Making a pausing motion I opened the top flap and wiggled my hand down to a secret pocket at the bottom of the bag, pulling out a baggie with some ground up pot in it, about three grams of it. Handing it to her I motioned for her to smell it.

She opened the bag and took a deep whiff, almost instantly putting it down and pulling her head back, eyes wide in surprise. "Ancient Melody, some of the best shit you can get _anywhere_. Set me back thirty a gram but it's well worth it." I think I saw a tear in her eye.

Grabbing the pipe I had stowed in the backpack I packed a bowl down of the sticky, vibrant green and red dope. "How high is this gonna get us?" Tayuya asked right as I lit the pipe, taking a long and full drag off of it, filling my lungs with the smoke.

I grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her, exhaling the smoke from my mouth and into hers. When I broke the kiss she held the smoke in for a second, before blowing it out and sitting there for a second, taking it all in. "Yeah, I'm talking higher than a motherfucker." I said, smiling at her reaction.

Taking another hit I passed it to her, letting her rip on the pipe, which had half a gram of the stuff in it. Upon her first real hit, realization hit her like a freight train. "Hinata, I may just have to marry you if it means I get to have some of this dank ass shit, the dankest fucking shit I've ever had." She coughed out, clearing her lungs of the smoke, which had a taste of citrus, earth and pine.

Forty five minutes later and three grams of the 'dankest dank I've ever danked' and we were higher than a jet plane, swaying to the music and chain smoking cigarettes.

 _I don't practice Santeria, I ain't got no crystal ball. Well I had a million dollars but I, I spent it all._

Yeah, it's stereotypical stoner music, but I don't care right now. "Man, like, I love this dude and all, but sometimes he acts a bit protective and concerned, and like I don't know how I feel about it." Was the way I was going with this conversation.

Tayuya put a hand on my shoulder and smiled. "Dude, like I _totally_ feel you there, my last boyfriend thought that just cuz I been through some shit I couldn't handle being alone, and it's like man I do good on my own, I don't need no one." Right on girl, right on.

"But like, with my mom gone my dads been trying his hardest to fill both spots, and sometimes it's like I just need a dad, not a dad trying to be a mom too." The red head next to me nodded, lighting up a blunt of her own stuff she brought. "What's your story?"

Coughing while exhaling the smoke she waved it away from her face. "Ugh, well it's nothing really. My mom married into the Nara clan, but her and my dad never liked the way Konoha did politics and policing so they moved to Oto, and there things are bad. Drugs, murder, rape, all of these things I've been a victim of, and it sucks but it's hard to escape." Did she say rape?

A tear dripped from my eyes as I brought her into a deep hug. "I'm so sorry to hear that, man. Why can't you move back to Konoha" I asked, curious as to why she stays other than school and family.

She hit the blunt one more time and passed it to me, sighing out the smoke. "Because, Konoha is strict on refugees from Oto, making it hard for me to even try. It's not all bad, I have my best friend Kin, a trans girl, Kido, Jiroubo, Sakon, Ukon, Dosu and Zaku are cool but sketchy druggies." Ah, go figure politics would be the reason.

"Still...maybe the future will be better for you, I have faith it will be." She smiled at me, eyes brimming with happiness, something her eyes seem to not see much.

We finished the last blunt and walked around the corner, smoking a cigarette to mask the smell on our breaths. I looked in one of the windows, catching sight of my bloodshot and squinted eyes and laughed. "Hot damn, we _are_ higher than shit, I gotta hand it to you again." Tayuya said after seeing her eyes.

There's no hiding the fact that we're high right now, not a snowballs chance in hell. It was almost four now, leaving two hours before the contest. "Are you gonna try to win or are you gonna stay out of it?" I could use a friend like here there.

Shaking her head she grinded the finished stogie into the ground. "Nah, never been much of a drinker to be honest, but I'll drink for sure, just don't laugh at me being a little bit of a lightweight." I laughed and shook my head reminding her I used to be the same way. "What made you get better at it though?"

Good question, my friend. I looked at her, donning a sad smile and just shrugged. "I guess not having a care whether or not you wake up in the morning means you can drink until you physically can't." It was the sad truth that needed no other explanation.

Heading inside we found Ino and Asuka sitting at the table with Temari and Shikamaru playing a game of...go fish. "Hey, we thought you two had died-holy shit you guys are higher than all hell." Asuka laughed out, catching sight of our eyes. "I would've asked if you wanted to play but you guys disappeared, and for a good reason, just invite me next time."

I laughed a little bit, giving the girl a thumbs up. "Will do, but now we're in need of some snacks and a funny ass movie until six, anyone wanna help with that?" Shika just pointed to the cabinets, also telling us that Sasuke and Naruto went to check out the beach.

Godspeed, and don't come back with AIDS from a dirty needle, or I'll be sad. And I don't wanna be sad right now.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 28th, 4:00 pm._ **  
**

Good lord, now I see why no one goes here. When we got to the beach is was covered in trash, and you had to hop a fence and a gate to get to it. It looked like it could've been beautiful once upon a time before it got ruined by trash, waste and drug needles.

Thankfully me and Naruto wore our pairs of extra thick soled shoes and thick jeans to prevent us from getting stuck. "Damn son, it's a wreck..." I heard Naruto mutter under his breath, gazing out onto the beach as we started taking small steps onto the sand and trash, moving closer to where the water met the sand and made it a beach instead of a desert.

We trudged on, reaching the water line and looking out into the water, the suns rays shining from behind us and hitting the water. "I just can't believe the things some people will do to feel good...anyone who did or does drugs like that is an idiot." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Naruto's face scrunch up, but release quickly.

Huh, weird, but it is Naruto after all. "Teme, I'm gonna trust you with something, okay?" He said out of nowhere, catching me off guard, but I agreed nonetheless. "For the longest time, the reason I was drawn to Hinata is because she felt the same pain I did, we both used to do drugs like this." Uh...what? So the whole drug thing...

I laughed, turning and looking at him and his confused face. "Dobe, we're still brothers, but that just means I can do this and get away with it." Before he could ask I struck out my hand, decking him in the face. "You're an idiot, Naruto, but that doesn't mean I look at you any different."

When he recovered from the blow and straightened himself out he just smiled. "Thanks for that, I deserved it teme." He laughed, punching my shoulder gently.

Fifteen minutes we stood here and just gazed out into the water, thinking about life. Naruto lit up a cigarette and puffed the smoke out, watching it flow in the wind. "Sakura has bee trying to get me to be more adventurous in bed, but we're already doing BDSM stuff." I said in a cool tone, as if it were nothing at all.

But Naruto didn't think so, coughing on the smoke. "Ugh, okay that was random, but I feel you, that's why me and Hinata did that stuff with Ino and Asuka and man, lemme tell you, it was the best thing in the world." Huh...I don't know about two girls though, she said she'd want another guy there if we did.

"Yeah, I know it'll be fun, it just depends on who it is. She wants another straight couple, and I don't know any besides Temari and Shika and you and Hinata. But that'd be weird...right?" I asked tentatively, running the idea through my head.

Now I was a nervous wreck on the inside and Naruto kept his cool, just exhaling the smoke from his lungs. "Well, it's only weird if you make it weird, to be honest. It's a big thing to do together, and I'm skeptical about doing it with another guy too, so might as well make it someone I already know, right?" He did have a point, for once, I'd rather know who'd be sleeping with my girlfriend.

Thinking it over I wracked my head trying to find an answer, before settling on one. "Fuck it, let's do it, but not tonight, we'll have to do it back in Konoha." Naruto nodded in agreement, smiling over at me and giving me a thumbs up. "So...what do you in a foursome?"

He laughed a little bit, resting a hand on my shoulder. "Whatever comes to mind, bro, you just have to let go of any fears and go with the flow of things." I guess so, brother.

We left the beach a minute later, returning to his truck and turning the A/C on, heading back to our beach house. "I feel like I'm overthinking things, man, it's stressful, what if they don't like what I do?" And why am I so nervous about this?

"Sasuke, chill." Naruto said firmly, trying to put any worries I had to rest. "It's not like they're asking us to sleep with _each other_. And besides, I handled three horny and sex driven women, I think I can handle Hinata and Sakura, especially with your help." True, if he can handle three sex addicted women, I think we got this in the bag.

Still, if you think about it, we're practically sleeping with each others girlfriends and getting away with it...actually, in hindsight, I can't really complain with that too much, and Hinata is pretty, so yeah. I know he thinks Sakura is pretty, too, so I'm not _that_ worried anymore.

For a little help, he sat there and told me what happened last night, going into minor detail about it. I have to say I'm impressed he managed to control and command three girls when I barely manage one without losing control.

I just can't understand why people lower themselves to doing hard drugs, like you, Naruto. There has to be an underlying reason both him and Hinata have done that shit, and more importantly, are they _still_ doing it? I want to believe they're not, but I don't even know anymore. Shit's changed in the past eight months, all of us have changed, for the better I presume.

Hell, even my stoic brother, the master of apathetic looks and not giving a shit, has changed since he left. My dad well, er, not so much. I will say he's a bit more _childish_.

Yeah he's more in touch with the younger side of himself than before, turning to playing practical pranks on my mom that usually end up getting him kicked out of the room and into the living room for the night. Way to go.

Even after years of him being AWOL from us and nowhere to be found he's still eligible for the dog house treatment. Some things never change, amirite? And this is just one of those things that never has and never will, even with the need for more 'gender neutralization and equality'. Psh, fuck that shit man, we're not unequal, you're delusional.

Delusions are a symptom of mental diseases, and mental diseases suck, so you _may_ wanna go get that check out, hun, before you end up hurting yourself or someone else that just so happens to be around you, and that's no fun for anyone.

Can we just start drinking now? Good, we're back at the beach house, thank _god_.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 28th, 6:00 pm._

"It's-"

"Naruto, I _swear_ if you do that shit again I'm gonna-"

"-tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime for the main event of the evening! In this cor-ow! Hey lemme go damn it! My voice _will_ be heard! And I-mmph!"

Thank you, Hinata, I was about ready to punch him in the lip, but a kiss from you is a bit more _humane_. Gathered on the back porch was myself, Temari, Ino, Asuka, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Tayuya, all ready to begin the contest. I think Tayuya was here just to try and seduce someone, but she'll be disappointed to see we're all taken.

"Alright guys, let's get this started." I went through a mental checklist, making sure the ice chests were full of beer and the liquor we needed for the night. "We all know the rules, but now we need to pick a drinking partner for the night." The point of a partner being I make sure they don't cheat and vice versa. Unfortunately, we have to follow each other literally _everywhere_. Even the restroom.

Normally I'd pick Temari, but choosing your girl/boyfriend, fiancée/fiancé or wife/husband is against the rules. In the end it was Sasuke/Ino, Sakura/Tayuya, Naruto/Asuka and me ending up with Hinata. "So...partners?" She asked me, walking up to my side and smiling.

I nodded, smiling back at her. "Partners. I know me and you can drink a lot, so let's just make sure neither of us throw up and neither of us cheat, k?" I saw her nod firmly, sticking her hand out to me. Laughing I took her hand and shook it, making a pact with her.

Looking around I saw the other teams talking strategy. While this was a one-winner contest, having a teammate to propel and support you helps a ton. I knew who would be out first, and that was Sakura and Tayuya. Basically this was a team contest but only one person would win. And that's all because of the last contest.

When all other teams are eliminated, it comes down to you versus your teammate in a dick measuring drinking contest. If it came down to me and Hinata...I have no idea who would walk away victorious. I think the only other team that can match us is Naruto and Asuka, mainly because of Naruto, I'm not sure about Asuka. She's an unknown.

"Well, pick a drink and let's get ready to start." I told her, following her to the ice chests. She fished in one and grabbed a beer, tossing one to me. I caught it with ease and high fived her, walking over to the ring of chairs in the middle of the back porch.

As expected Naruto and Sasuke had a beer and the other girls had a Temari Mixed Drink, trademarked by me. They're usually the best I've ever had, and I say usually because sometimes they put me on my ass faster than being hit by a freight train.

Temari looked over us, making sure none of the drinks were tampered with before smiling. "And this contest begins...now!" Now, it wasn't a contest of who could drink the most the quickest, not at all, but you don't wanna be sitting on a drink for an hour, the average turnaround on a drink is usually fifteen minutes for a beer and ten for a mixed drink, until you get drunk.

After we get drunk we just knock them back and back until we can't, never paying attention to time, but if I'm right it's about five minutes each. I popped the cap off the beer in my hand and looked towards Hinata. "Cheers, mate." She stuck her beer out, waiting for me to cross necks with her.

I almost made the mistake of touching tips with her, but avoided it, clanking the glass necks of the beer bottles together. For some reason, watching her drink was oddly satisfying. She drank with precision and an air of experience.

Five minutes later and she had downed almost her entire beer, making small talk with me in the meantime. "Ne, if you wanted to touch tips with me you could've just asked and we could arrange something." Thank god I had already swallowed the beer in my mouth, only choking on a small bit of it.

Everyone looked at me weird but kept their mouths shut, focusing on their drinks. "Ha, very funny, I'll have you know only me and Temari do that." It was her turn to choke on her drink, still coughing as she introduced a cigarette to her mouth, offering one to me.

Accepting her invitation she stuck her lighter out in her hand, already lit, lighting my cigarette for me. I put the beer to my mouth, about to finish it off when she opened her mouth again. "I always light my bitches cigarettes, Shika." What little beer as in my mouth ended up on the floor, her laughs echoing in my head as I coughed out the alcohol in my lungs.

Glaring at her, We both finished off our beers and grabbed fresh ones, repeating the same process as before, except this time we actually touched the tips together. "Oh no, it wasn't supposed to go this was, I wanted it to be special damn it!" I whined out in a girly voice, straining my vocal chords and making her keel over in laughter.

Yeah, I have a feeling that we're gonna make the best team ever. "Ah shit, my sides hurt dammit." She cried out, trying to quell the laughter coming from her. "Okay, alright now, we had some fun didn't we?" Her question came clearly, receiving a nod as an answer from me.

"We have had some fun indeed, now let's get down to brass tax." Thankfully she knew what I meant, grabbing a second beer and taking a seat at the bar where Temari sat behind, waiting to make drinks. I kissed her on the lips, laughing at Hinata's 'grossed out' reaction. "Oh come one, you've done worse." I said, getting her to stop.

She laughed, putting a hand on my shoulder and shaking me a bit. "Yeah, I know, I'm just messing with you. So we gonna smoke?" I nodded, nodding to Temari.

Within a few seconds she had a joint on her hand, lighting it up and smoking it with us as the commotion continued on in the background. It was gonna be a _long_ night.

* * *

 _9:00 pm._

A few hours had passed, and the totals were as I expected. Naruto and Sasuke at nine beers and two mixed drinks, Ino had four mixed drinks and a beer, Asuka was slightly ahead with six mixed drinks and two beers, Sakura was five mixed drinks in, Tayuya with four beers and two mixed drinks and me with nine beers and a mixed drink.

Hinata, though, had eleven beers and three mixed drinks, leading all of us so far. But the worst part was she wasn't even all that drunk, if I guessed she's about a four on the Shikamaru Nara scale of drunkenness and a two on the Shikamaru Nara scale of how much more she can _actually_ go.

"C'mon Shika, we got a while to go so hunker down." True, Naruto can go for a while and so can Sasuke. I'd say this isn't gonna end until probably three in the morning.

I'd say I'm about a five and a four on my scales, respectively. Where this newfound drinking skill came from. I looked over to the crowd, seeing Tayuya saying she's gonna have to bow out of the contest, saying she doesn't wanna risk actually throwing up, something she has always hated. One team down, two to go, and these next two are gonna be hard.

Now if Sakura wanted to continue she could hop a team with someone else if their partner dropped, but I think she's done too. "So you think we'll make it to the end?" I asked the dark haired girl I had as a drinking buddy.

She looked at me and just smiled softly. "Yep, I know Naruto and he'll have to tap out eventually. I, however, don't feel like stopping for a while, so if you want that title then you're gonna have to fight for it." Damn, and I've never won before either. Maybe I should just tap out..."Oh, and don't tap out either, that's not cool." True enough...

I nodded to her, vowing to stay in it as long as I could. I was working on my tenth beer when Hinata cracked open her twelfth beer, quickly finishing it and going for another one in a span of five minutes. "Dang Hinata, gonna give any of us a chance?" Sasuke jeered, laughing alongside Ino.

Hinata spun on her heel and faced Sasuke, just smiling sweetly. "Ne, maybe you should grab your balls from Sakura's purse and put them on, then you _might_ have a chance in beating me." Hot damn, when did she get some fire ass comebacks?

But I couldn't help but laugh my ass off at Sasuke's shocked face. "Hinata, I don't know if you're just being competitive or if this is a part of a plan, but that shit right there is funny as fuck." Tayuya said, taking a mixed drink from Temari, who was enjoying herself playing DJ and getting high.

My partner just shrugged, waiting till Tayuya left to speak again. "Yano, it is a part of a plan." She muttered to me, trying not to let anyone hear her. "Yeah, see, if I ruffle their feathers they'll push themselves trying to one-up me and drink too fast, screwing themselves in a sense."

Well then, I gotta say that's not such a bad idea. Wait, then..."What were you trying to ruffle my feathers for then, since we _are_ partners." It made no logical sense, at least not to me. A good plan, yes, but that part was senseless.

Her sweet and innocent smile returned, making me brace for another quip at me. "Oh, that?" I nodded, answering her question. "Eh, I was just fucking with you, warming up for the others. If I could shake you then I knew I wouldn't have a problem getting to them." Why, is what I asked. "Why? Because, you're calm and collected, they aren't, so if I could get you to break, they'd be easy as fuck." Okay, she's back to making sense.

"So what're you gonna do about Naruto? So far you've only gotten me and Sasuke." She put a finger up while she started chugging her beer, downing it and tossing it in the can. "Oh boy, I feel bad for him now..." I muttered under my breath, watching her spring into action.

She strutted her way over to him and started dancing on him a little, and he bit into the bait easily, falling for her trap. I had faith in him, but not anymore. And then she leaned into his ear, whispering something that made his face go beet red.

A trail of laughter coming from Hinata followed her all the way back to where I was at in front of the bar. I had a questioning look on my face as she grabbed number fourteen and opened it. "Don't worry about what I said to him right now, I'll tell you when we beat them out."

Okay, Hinata, if you're sure we'll win.

* * *

 _May 29th, 12:30 am._

Three hours later and was she ever right, we won the team part of the contest, Sasuke and Naruto bowing out a minute ago, regretfully. Sasuke hit twenty beers and five mixed drinks and Naruto matched him, finishing half a mixed drink more before puking his guts out.

How did they end up as a team? Well, Ino and Asuka had to bow when they puked after Ino hit eight mixed drinks and three beers and Asuka hit ten mixed drinks and, if I remember right, four beers.

And now it's just me and Hinata, and her total was an impressive twenty six beers and six mixed drinks. Compared to my nineteen beers and four mixed drinks she was the champ hands down. There's no way I'm gonna catch up to her, not a chance in hell, considering I know she has a lot left in her. I'd say she's a solid seven on the drunk scale and the same on the continuity scale.

Naruto and Sasuke were taking the walk of shame inside to get in the shower after throwing up, leaving just me, Hinata, Tayuya and Temari outside. Temari was being a trooper, but I knew she'd have to go to bed sometime soon. "Hinata, man, you're kicking some ass!" The read headed girl said, slapping Hinata on the shoulder.

I had to give her props, high fiving her and giving her a small hug. "Yeah, I know there's no way I'm gonna win, so I'm gonna concede." She looked at me weird, tilting her head to the side questioningly.

"Ne, I'm glad I won, but that doesn't mean we gotta stop drinking, right?" Hmm, no not really. "So, whether you're with me or not, I'm setting out to find out how far I can _actually_ go, you feel me?" All three of us nodded to her, understanding what she wanted to do.

Tayuya put a hand on Hinata's shoulder and smiled. "Well, I'm close to my personal max so I might as well see how far I can go too." Oh boy, this is gonna be fun.

Looking over to Temari she smiled at me approvingly, knowing what I was asking. Sighing I smiled at the two girls. "I'm tied with my personal max, and I know I can go more, so fuck it, let's see how far we can get...together?" I stuck fist out to the two drunk girls, receiving fist bumps from them.

I'm not sure how this is going to go, but we'll find out. It was soon one, and we found ourselves drinking more than we expected, dropping beers and mixed drinks left and right, with barely a break in between drinks.

Once two came Temari went to bed after whispering in my ear that she trusts me, Hinata and Tayuya to not do anything stupid. And we didn't...yet...not that I thought we would, but we were getting stupid drunk, not just shit faced, but _stupid_ shit faced drunk.

What was the real point of this? I don't even know, but I'm having a good time laughing and joking with my cousin and friend. I think that, if anything, this has strengthened mine and Hinata's friendship. We shared stories and thoughts, like what we were doing now at two thirty in the morning. "I'm just saying that, like, if a woman wants to dress a certain way she shouldn't fear being judged or anything." Tayuya slurred out, but still intelligible.

Hinata threw back her thirty second beer and mixed up her eight mixed drink. "Well, yeah I agree, but that can't be an excuse to walk around basically in your underwear, ya feel me?" Hinata asked from the bar, working her way over to the chairs we were in.

I nodded in agreement, lighting the cigarette Hinata offered me. "Yeah, like I can understand dressing like you do." I gestured to Tayuya, who was wearing tight yoga pants and a spaghetti string tank top showing a slight bit of bra. "But when you go out in booty shorts so short they're basically underwear it's like what?"

Tayuya seemed to agree, nodding slightly while lighting a blunt. "I understand what y'all are saying, and I know I dress, er, _risqué_ sometimes, but it's just comfortable and freeing. Oto is like a prison for the most part, so I like my freedom. Like right now." Yeah...Oto is a horror story for women.

Although I hardly ever see Hinata dress too scantily, she's been conservative. "But I dress like I want to, like who I am, a girl at the rock show." That's...pretty spot on.

Torn jeans, dark clothing, Converse/Vans/Adidas, dark shade makeup, band tee shirts, the only time I ever saw her 'dress up' was...I don't even remember man. "Yeah but you can pull it off perfectly, you have that cool, laid back and rocker aura to you." I said, taking the blunt from Tayuya's outstretched hand and hit it.

The rocker girl nodded in agreement, putting her cigarette out on the floor before lighting another one. "I just...I just wanna live my life to the fullest right now, no matter how many mistakes I may make I just want to be _free_." She finished her statement, accepting the blunt from me. "If I wanna drink imma drink, if I wanna smoke weed or cigarettes you bet imma do it." Me and Tayuya nodded in agreement, finishing our drinks.

My cousin hit twelve beers and six mixed drinks and still wanted to go, and I was at twenty four beers and eight mixed drinks and even I wanted to continue, for some odd reason. I was having fun though, we all were.

Now the question is _how_ long can we go?

* * *

 _4:30 am._

Ha, I found the answer. Even if our drinking slowed down we made it to four thirty before Tayuya said she needed to crash out on the couch, not wanting to crash out on the side of the road on the way to her beach house.

Meanwhile me and Hinata were on our last drinks for the night. She clocked out at thirty seven beers and ten mixed drinks, leaving me at twenty seven beers and ten mixed drinks. Overall the score was forty seven to thirty seven, a clear victory for her. And the scary part is I know she could go for ten more probably.

And if she wasn't smoking week at the same time? Hell, I'm not even sure. All I know is two things, one is we're fucked up, and two is we're higher than a kite right now chain smoking on the back porch and listening to music. "Ne, b-but it's just confusing sometimes, I don't how I should feel in certain situations, and then in some the emotions overwhelm me." I know what you mean, Hinata.

"Yeah I get you, but you're new to being around a ton of people and drinking, smoking and partying, I would say you're handling it well. You've grown a lot since you first met us, and that's a good thing." I did my best to put together an intelligible sentence.

She nodded, taking a long drag off the cigarette in her hands and exhaling the smoke. "I know, its all just a bit overwhelming sometimes, and being loved the way Naruto loves me...man, it can be a bit too much sometimes." Never having a boyfriend before can do that to you.

I smiled at her, watching the smoke rise from her cigarette and mine and whisking up into the air, through the ceiling on the porch. "I've known him for the longest time and he's had issues too, but he's never looked at a girl the way he looks at you. I know what he feels for you is pure love, and nothing else."

It's true, he's never liked a girl this much, besides his mom. "I love him so much, I just feel like I'm not doing enough sometimes compared to what he does for me, and he does _a lot_ for me, Shika." Yeah, I know, he talks about it _a lot_.

But I just continued smiling at her, trying to seem as comforting as possible. "You're doing as much as you can, and he knows that. You love him and he loves you, you even made promises to stick it out till the end, so have faith in him Hinata." I felt relieved when she smiled and nodded, giving me a one armed hug. It felt good helping others feel good about themselves.

She reached for her guitar and grabbed it, strumming on it to make sure it's in tune. "I wanna play you a song real quick, even if it's dark and depressing, but it means a lot to me, okay?" I nodded, ready to hear it. "I know the meaning to it, but make of it what you will."

When she started it seemed like two basic power chords in a simple pattern, but the words are what spoke to me.

 _Your words, to me, just a whisper. Your face is so unclear. I try to pay attention, your words just disappear._

 _Oh, oh, 'cause it's always raining in my head. Oh, oh, forget all the things that I should've said._

I tried to make sense of the words she was singing in a low tone, but decided to listen some more to get the full story. The way she played, her words meshing with the tones the guitar was emitting, made it hard to focus too much on the meaning, though.

 _So I speak to you in riddles, 'cause my words get in my way. I smoke the whole thing to my head, and feel it wash away._

 _'Cause I can't take any more of this, I wanna come apart. Or dig myself a little hole, inside your precious heart._

It seemed to me like he or she was struggling with a relationship, their words getting in the way of them speaking, so they numb the pain by smoking weed or whatever they smoke. And then they can't take any more of whatever pain or struggling they're handling, wanting to come apart or dig themselves a hole in the heart of their loved one.

 _Oh, oh, 'cause it's always raining in my head. Oh, oh, forget all the things that I should've said._

 _I am nothing more than a little girl inside, that cries out for attention, yet I always try to hide._

 _'Cause I talk to you like children, though I don't know how I feel, but I know I'll do the right thing, if the right thing is revealed._

 _'Cause it's always raining in my head, forget all the things that I should have said._

The song finished strongly, leaving me to put my thoughts into words. "Hmm, it seems to me that it's about a broken relationship? Or one that's at least not as healthy as it needed to be. How close was I?" I asked, believing to be right.

Hinata just laughed, putting the guitar in its case and clipping it shut. "Not close, but it's ok, like I said make of it what you want, that's what I did." Then what was the song actually about? "It was about having ADD, attention deficit disorder." Well damn, I wasn't close, but it does make sense. Unclear words, speaking in riddles, talking to people like children, it fits it...kind off.

And so does the raining in the head thing. "I see what you mean though. It can mean what you want it to mean to you, but the true meaning stands tall." She nodded, lighting what would be her last cigarette for the night.

I joined her in one, just letting the words go through my head one more time trying to make more sense of them to me, not noticing Hinata go inside. I thought I heard her saying goodnight, but I wasn't sure.

Looking around I saw the little bit of trash, opting to leave it for the morning, er, whenever we wake up. Could be evening, could not be, ya never know.

Now to just creep inside and not wake anyone up. I gently opened the door and stepped in tip toeing into the hallway and opening the door to my bedroom with a small creak and groan. I saw Temari stir a little bit, but she stopped, thankfully.

After undressing into just my boxers I slowly crawled into bed. Temari stirred a little bit more, opening her eyes, but once I got my arms around her and kissed her, she instantly fell back asleep, and I followed her shortly after that.

But still, those words rung through my head...I need to look into that _after_ I get some sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, it's over! I'll be back to once a week releases next week when Wrong Path officially turns twenty one! I can't believe I've made it this far, I halfway expected it to fall apart around ten, but I managed to stick tight, then I had the same feeling at thirteen and fourteen, but once again I stuck tight, buckled up and started shooting out words and storylines like tee shirts in a cannon at a sports game.

One more time, _please_ review, follow and favorite, it let's me know how many of you like what I'm doing and reviews let me know _what_ you think of what I'm writing. Have a good beginning to the summer and, as always, ja ne!


	21. Sickness

**A/N:** Sickness! Truth! Friendship! Drama! This is one helluva action packed chapter guys, specially crafted just for you who stuck around so long and especially those who made it through the 19/20 twin release special! The summer is on, both in the story _and_ where I am, so expect these next chapters to feature some good plotlines, fun for everyone (kinda), some storylines coming to a close and the start of a new era!

I want to shout out anyone who reviewed and **SPA** for pm'ing me and letting me know what was up, it means a lot to see and hear your feedback on what I'm doing. This chapter is completely _**lemon-free**_ for the people who don't like them, I plan on taking a break from lemons until next chapter, and even then I might only put one minor one.

Think of chapter 19 as an ode to the lemons, a farewell of sorts, as they'll be taking a backseat now. I have bigger fish to fry and more important things to write other than some sex scenes between the characters. While they were good early on to advance the characters personalities, they're not so important now. Right now is the time for their personalities and stuff to flourish.

Now, as always, _**please review, favorite**_ and _ **follow**_ or PM me if you have any advice. Enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters besides m'f'ing Asuka, hoes!

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 30th, 2:00 pm._ **  
**

Farewell, beach house that had probably the worst beach I've seen in the longest time, with your debris and needles and whatnot. On the bright side, we made a lot of good memories there and a lot of good relationships, especially _bedroom_ relationships.

That's not to say that we didn't have any good and solid bonding time as couples, because we did. And a lot of fuckin' alcohol and a lot of fuckin' pot. Even if we were coming home with leftover pot we still smoked a good chunk of it at the house, but we trashed the leftover beer and stowed away the leftover liquor in Shikamaru's car.

Handshakes were exchanged as we went our separate ways in the cars we came in on. Shika and Temari were going to stop by Suna, Naruto and Sasuke were gonna go stop by some mall thing on the way back in and we, well, we're just going home.

Kinda lame, I know, but we're all tired and Hinata said she really needed to get home and sleep, she hasn't been feeling good since Sunday evening. She took the hangover like a grade A champ, but when she started running a high fever and getting really nauseated she knew she was sick.

I highly doubt that she's pregnant, or at least, I _hope_ she isn't. She even said herself she's fairly certain she isn't, saying she's had this before and it usually hits her after being out of the city for more than a day or two. Something to do with the enzymes in the air and yada-yada, it's a bunch of medical bullshit that I can't even pretend to know anything about at all.

And that's how we ended up with Sakura driving Hinata's Jeep, something which is rare as hell. Hinata _loves_ this car. If I'm being honest, she would probably marry it if she could, not sure how that'd work but she would sure as hell make it work.

At the same time I'm not sure how Naruto would take it, being dumped for a car. He'd probably just go get a brand new truck and marry it just to stick it to her, and then they'd get into a war, fight, yell and end up fucking and marrying each other. Man, I should write some movie scripts, eh?

Let's see if I can do this again, hmm...meh, I got nothing. Yeah maybe I should stick to my day job. Now we get to focus on some of the more important things coming up.

In just over a week on the tenth of June, Shikamaru and Temari are getting married, where the night before we get to have a little girls only slumber party while the men do pretty much all the fun shit that Temari and us _can't_ do, like get super drunk.

So we're stuck getting high, which won't be all that bad. Hinata said she's getting some of the strongest shit possible and I believe it, for once. Mainly because Tayuya told us exactly so back before we left for Konoha, and judging by the stars in her eyes it was some good, _good_ shit.

After the recent breakthrough in prenatal medicine and facts on marijuana, they made it a lot safer to smoke or otherwise ingest pot into your system. With the release of a vitamin that targeted and neutralized any dangerous chemicals in the unborn babies bloodstream, THC included, it's no longer unsafe to use weed as a painkiller, anxiety or stress reliever or a cure for morning sickness.

Biology is a helluva thing, man, biology is a helluva thing. Maybe I should think about getting into that, including plant biology. I know Asuka has her dreams of being a designer and I can support that one hundred percent, but biology is something that's always intrigued me.

Shikamaru, while he was going to go into college for engineering, has the whole thing with I&T first, which rumor is that if he does well there they'll pay for his college tuition under the military fund, since he's practically a worker for the military.

All they ask is that he thinks about contracting himself out to them if they ever require his services. I'd do it, honestly, it's a safe bet for money. I think now Temari is gonna do online college to start up her advertisement company, it's the easiest thing for her.

Mainly because while Shika is home he can help watch the baby while she studies and takes her classes. They work so effortlessly as a team I have no doubt that they're gonna make the best parents in the world. Sure it's gonna be rough, but I'm sure they'll find a way to team up and get the job done.

"You feeling any better, Hinata?" I heard Asuka ask, patting the sick girls shoulder and getting a small smile accompanied by a shake of her head.

I don't know why but I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that this isn't just some random illness, not if she said it happens in situations like that. Normally the only time your body will turn on you like that because of the place your in means cancerous cells are the ones behind the attacks, making you sick.

Okay, so maybe I _do_ know a little something about this 'medical' bullshit, but that's because I paid attention in school...for the most part. Just because I was a dumb bimbo and slept around doesn't mean I didn't give a shit about my education, I still wanted to learn.

Cancerous cells, enzymes, in the air...Phil Collins...heh, good song...okay getting serious now. If there's something in the air where we were, in a humid, dusty and sandy area, that was causing her body to attack her, essentially making her sick like this, that narrows it down to a couple of things.

One of them can be this simple little tidbit. So basically, in a sense, there's a type of bacteria or enzyme in the air that irritates a certain type of bacteria in her body and causes it to multiply and infect, swelling her lymph nodes and affecting her head area, causing the nausea and ramping up her body temperature. But the other theory, well, it's not as simple as the first one.

This one has me worried because it _makes sense_. Down in the area we were in lives a virus that can lodge itself inside of you and reactivate when triggered by the enzymes and whatnot in the air. What is this virus? Well, they call it Jumpers Disease, named after the famous military division that jumped into combat in this area, returning sick.

As much as I want to tell her, I'd rather wait until we got home and she got to the doctors before I made a guess, they'd know a lot more than I did.

Two and a half hours to go until we reach home, if all goes well. And I hope it does.

* * *

 _5:00 pm._

Sakura had just dropped us off at our house, waiting for us to unload and get inside before leaving for the hospital with Hinata, where the doctors would help her better than we could. During the car ride she got worse, I know she did, even if she didn't show it I could see it on her face.

I walked upstairs after saying hello to my mom and dad, plopping down on the bed in my clothes and all. I didn't even bother getting dressed into something more a little more comfy, opting to just collapse where I was. "Ugh, I'm so glad to be home, I loved the beach house but nothing beats being here." Asuka breathed out, undressing from her attire and dressing into a pair of athletic booty shorts and a plain red tee, ditching the bra.

Climbing into bed with me she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in, taking in the perfume I was wearing with an emphatic sniff and happy sigh. I'm happy to be home, too, but I can't help but worry about the dark haired girl with Sakura.

Sighing I shook myself free from Asuka and stood up, picking out a more comfortable outfit and changing into it.

Donning my pair of fluffy black pajama pants with cartoon characters on them and a blue tank top on I smiled and laid back down, snuggling into Asuka and sighing in happiness. "Asuka, I'm worried for Hinata." I said lowly, trying not to tear up.

Asuka rolled over and faced me, smiling at me before kissing me gently. "I know, but I'm sure she'll be fine, she's a tough cookie." I chuckled and smiled, nodding along with my red headed girlfriend. Hinata is indeed a tough cookie, hopefully she's tough enough, though.

We laid there for a couple of hours before my mom came and interrupted us, telling us that they had an important business dinner with some people that had came up last minute, leaving us money to order pizza and go pick it up. I called the order in before standing up and throwing on a bra and a better shirt. After Asuka threw hers on we left the house, heading to the pizza joint.

After I parked we walked into the restaurant hand in hand and paid for the pizza, taking a seat on a bench and waited for the order to be ready. I looked at Asuka and gave her a smile, finding it again. Leaning in and kissing her I savored the taste of the fruit punch she was drinking earlier on her tongue.

As usual, though, all good things must come to an end, when I felt an arm wrap around me from the right side. "Hey baby, I see you dig chicks now too?" Fucking Kiba, I only dated the dude for a few weeks and he seems to think I'm still in love with him and his dick.

I turned my face to him and glared for a second before throwing on a sickeningly sweet smile. "Kiba." I started stiffly, grasping his arm tightly. "We aren't a couple anymore nor are we friends, so would you kindly _piss the fuck off_?" I hissed out, digging nails into his arm and yanking it off of me.

He hissed in pain but stayed in his seat nonetheless, being smart and not putting his arm back where it was. "Feisty, I like that, you know you and your sexy little babe here want some threesome action with me." Asuka made a throwing up action when he winked at me and her, finally having enough and standing up.

She walked over right in front of him and bent down, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him up. "Look, ya little filthy mutt, she don't want any and neither do I. She left you because you're a slimy little peasant obsessed with sex and being popular, but she's changed, so do what she said and _piss off,_ ya dick." Dang, more brutal, please?

When she dropped him back down onto the seat he grunted and just stood up, facing Asuka. "Yeah, sure, just don't let the eighteen sixties catch wind of this, they don't take very lightly to someone assaulting their newest member." He laughed, walking off once he gathered his pizza, leaving Asuka her gripping her head in annoyance and anger, trying to figure out...something, that's all I know.

"Well shit, this is bad." She cursed out, stomping her foot. Just then our order was ready and we walked out to the car and got in, leaving. I looked at her questioningly as we made our way down the road and home. "Look, so basically if he really is a new recruit, they're not gonna like a former one doing what I did to him."

I went to ask her why before she cut me off, raising a hand to me. "They don't value women very well in the gang, we're pretty much expected to put out to anyone who asks, so being a former member they know I know that and expect me to still hold that value. When they find out that I don't..." We're pretty much screwed, I get it.

Sighing I grabbed her hand and intertwined my fingers in hers. "Well, is there anyway we can get out of this? An apology, maybe?" I frowned when she shook her head.

"Nope, I don't doubt the little shits in the gang anyways, he'd make a good foot soldier. The only way is to get him ousted from the gang or submit. If we don't do either of them, then we become targets. And there's no way to get out of that." I just wish there was someone we could call to help us, another gang or the police, maybe.

All I know is now I'm wishing we were _back_ at the beach house. Maybe there is some places that can beat being home. "Is there really no one we can call?" I asked, getting another shake of her head, and a frown.

Looks like this pizza may very well be our last meal.

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 30th, 6:00 pm._

"Hinata Hyuuga, the doctor will see you now."

With the call from the receptionist I smiled at Hinata and helped her up, taking her hand in mine and helping her back through the door and to the examination room where the doctor would see us. "Thanks for the help, Sakura, I think I would've made a fool of myself if I came alone." She laughed softly at the thought of it.

I laughed too and pushed the thought into the back of my head. They weighed her, measured her height, took her blood, temperature and checked her tonsils before telling us to wait here and the doctor would be in here in few minutes.

But we both spoke doctor, knowing to hunker down for anywhere from thirty to forty five minutes, which we tried to fill with small talk about the little summer kick off party we had just left and the impending time with our two respective boyfriends, who were shopping for something right now. What they were looking for, I have no idea, but it's probably best that I don't.

It seemed important enough, though, so I'll let it slide for now. Maybe they just need some time to think and talk about things, even guys need some alone time like that with each other, no matter how much they may deny it.

Looking at Hinata, who was sitting on the examination bed, I put a hand on her thigh and gave her a soft smile. "Don't worry Hina, we'll get this figured out sooner than later." She smiled back, obviously exhausted.

She laid down on the bed and just sighed. "I know, I just don't know what's wrong with me, Sakura. I can't go anywhere besides Konoha without getting sick." I would be frustrated as hell if I were here. I love the village to death but sometimes I just need to get out.

Something confused me, though, and I couldn't find an answer for it. "Ne, Hinata, if this happens a lot when you leave Konoha, why didn't it happen back in Tea?" Craning her head up she looked at me and just shrugged. I figured she probably wouldn't have known either.

"I have my guesses, the main one being that Tea is almost the same as Konoha in the topography and stuff, but that's just a guess. The other is life decided to not be cruel for once and give me a stress free vacation." With that she laid her head back down, covering her eyes with an arm trying to block out the light that was shining from the ceiling and illuminating the room.

Thirty minutes passed of her resting and trying to stay cool and me playing solitaire on my phone before the doctor knocked on the door and swung it open, walking in with an authoritative feel. "Good evening Ms. Hyuuga and Ms. Haruno." He bowed to me and Hinata politely. "I am Dr. Shun and I'll be helping you out tonight, how are you?"

Hinata sat up slowly and tried her best to give a sincere smile. "Not so good, doc, that's why I'm here." He nodded, scanning through her files one more time and humming.

After about five minutes of looking at the files he snapped the folder shut. "Well, it seems you had visited here before about ten years ago with the same symptoms, now this was before we had half the knowledge of what could be the situation. To make a solid decision I'll need to make a quick examination, is this ok Ms. Hyuuga?" She nodded.

Bringing out his stethoscope he examined her breathing and lungs, checked her ears and measured her temperature once more. It was up from ninety nine to one o' one point three. Next he checked her lymph nodes, noticing the ones in the collarbone, armpit and neck region were inflamed.

Finally it came to the bloodwork results, which a nurse had just gave the doctor. He did what all the other doctors do and looked over them making small humming and grunting noises at what he saw. "Dr. Shun, what is it that you see?" Hinata croaked out, taking a swig of the water I gave her from my purse.

He lowered the bloodwork results and sat down in a chair. "It is what I thought it was. The good news is it isn't cancer, so you can breath easier." I don't know about her but you bet I did, at least. " _But_ , this isn't something to be taken lightly. What you have is Travelers disease, which is when the bodies immune system grows strong to certain types of environments and places but not to foreign places, so when you _do_ travel, it doesn't have the strength to fight the new environment." Ah...what?

I looked over and saw Hinata nod slowly like she knew about this. "Yeah, I figured, I haven't always had the best immune system since I hardly wanted to go anywhere, so it only makes sense that this would be the case." So she has this because she's...shy? Introverted?

That's just cruel, life, that's just cruel. "Now you haven't caught anything bad from it _yet_ , so we caught it in time. All you need is to start a regiment of medicine, including an antibiotic and a chest steroid that'll help build your immune system. I'll also be prescribing a minor painkiller for the soreness you're feeling. Is that all?" He asked, standing.

Nodding once Hinata did, he wrote the prescriptions and bowed farewell to us, leaving us to check out and leave the hospital.

We headed to the drug store and filled her prescriptions before I took her home, trying to figure out how to get my car from the school. I don't know how long Sasuke and Naruto are gonna be so I can't exactly call them. It's only seven thirty and they said they'd be back by nine.

Pulling up to her I noticed that Hinata was practically drained of all energy. "A s-side effect of being sick. It'll be b-better once I start the meds." Seeing her so weak and fragile in a literal sense made me sad on the inside. "Sakura, I hate to ask but I'm gonna need your help until Naruto and Sasuke get home." Smiling I nodded to her.

It worked out since I had to wait for them to get here anyways. "Sure, Hinata, I'd be glad to help." Which included practically carrying her inside while her dad grabbed her luggage. He almost noticed he pot in her bag, but I came in for the save and just said it had her underwear in it, scaring him away from the bag.

When we got inside to her room I helped her sit down on her bed. "Another thing I hate to ask, but I _really_ need to take a bath and I just don't have the strength to do it, do you think you-" I cut her off right there, smiling at her a genuine smile.

"Look Hinata, you don't have to be afraid to ask for help, you know me or any of the girls would be more than happy to help you." When I said that, she found the strength to give me a good, genuine smile. "Especially if we get to see you naked." I winked at her, making her blush, like she needed the heat. "In fact, I think imma call Ino and Asuka over, they might-" Hinata cut me off with a tiny squeak.

We waited until her dad left to get Hinata's prescriptions to do this, knowing he'd be gone for close to an hour if not more, and Hanabi was over at someone's house, probably Konohamaru's for a 'play date'.

I told Hinata to wait in her room while I went to her bathroom and ran the water, letting it fill the tub up with the warm but not hot liquid and threw in some bath salts.

Returning to Hinata she smiled at me, thanking me for what must have been the hundredth time tonight, and the hundredth one I waved off. She didn't even bother to stand as I stripped her of her shoes, socks, pants and underwear, leaving the bottom half of her body bare.

"C'mon, arms up Hinata." I told her, helping her hold her arms up while I slid her shirt off, feeling her blazing hot skin, clammy with sweat, touch my fingers. "Heh, I guess you could say you're _hot_ , Hinata." The sick girl just giggled a bit while I undid the snaps on her bra, tossing it next to her other discarded clothes on the floor.

And now I had the naked, burning hot and sick woman scooped up in my arms and walking towards the restroom. "I'll be gentle, but the water may hurt your skin at first, it's not too hot though." Warning the dark haired girl I slowly lowered her into the tub and let the water encompass her entire body up to her neck. Man she had a deep bathtub.

She winced at first, but soon after I saw a look of relief float over her, making me smile a bit. I saw her slip under the water for just a second, wetting her hair fully before coming back up and taking a breath in sharply. "Ok, I shouldn't do that anymore, that hurt my lungs so bad." After a few more deeper breaths she relaxed again.

Squeezing some shampoo onto my hands I started working it into her hair, massaging her scalp and sending a good feeling down her spine that made her melt into the tub even more than she was beforehand.

Grabbing the cup she had set on the ledge of the tub and filled it with water before dumping it over her head slowly, repeating the process until the shampoo was out of her hair completely, moving on to her body. "Ne, you're gonna have to stand for this, 'Nata." I said, seeing her visibly grimace and grip the ledge of the tub, forcing herself up onto her feet.

Her hands found the wall and my shoulder as she stood horizontal in the tub. I grabbed the body soap she used and put some on her loofah, caressing her body with the soaped up shower poof, getting a good amount of suds on her skin. I breathed in the scent, a lavender body soap, it fit her perfectly.

I moved down from her shoulder to her chest, gently working the loofah around her breasts and stomach area, moving on to her back shortly after. She trembled a bit when the loofah moved to her butt, but I blew it off, continuing my work and going down the backs of her legs and front of her legs.

She knew what was next, making me telling her to open her legs a bit pointless. "O-ok, just be gentle please." I nodded, slowly and carefully soaping up the insides of her thighs with ease. I barely grazed over her pussy, but that made her legs tremble more and a small moan escaped her lips. "I-I'm more s-sensitive down there, 'Suka."

Making a 'oh' face I continued on, holding her up strongly while I tenderly cleaned her up. Just as I was done though she collapsed down, sitting back down in the tub.

That's when she started shaking and moaning, and it became apparent to me what was happening. "Oh my, you...you just had an _orgasm_?" I asked, kinda impressed, curious and, to be honest, a bit envious myself.

Looking at me she slowly nodded after it had finished it's course on her body. "Y-yeah, it's the only bright side to this disease, it's makes your tolerance bottom out all the way, making having an orgasm happen quicker than even a lot of virgin guys. It sucks, but it felt good, so yeah." Wow...how do I get this disease?

Her coughing drew my attention back to her, making me change my mind about the disease. "I can see why it sucks hun, but that was definitely fun to see." I laughed out at the poor girls expense, making her glare at me.

"I'm just gonna soak here for a minute and recover, can you go get me a decently comfortable outfit out?" Nodding, I left her in the restroom and looked through the drawers in her dresser, grabbing a pair of purple basketball shorts, a big tee shirt of Naruto's and a pair of pink panties, which I thought were cute. I decided to nix the bra, knowing it would end up on the floor soon after she got in bed anyways.

And of course that's when her dad got back home, knocking on the bedroom door. I quickly shut the bathroom door and moved her clothes out of sight, opening the door for her father. "She's in the bath?" He asked, getting a nod from me. "Okay, well tell her that this is her medicine and I'll come see her when she's _decent_." With that he left.

Once the door shut behind me I opened the bathroom again, helping Hinata out of the tub. "You heard what he said right?" I asked her, getting a nod and a 'mhmm' as I dried her off and put her hair up in a towel. Walking her out to the bed I helped her slide her clothes on and dished her medicine put to her, watching her take it with water.

She gulped the pills down and laid back in the bed. "Thanks for the help, can you go get my dad please?" She knows she doesn't have to ask, but I nodded nonetheless.

Making my way down the hall I found her dad sitting in his office, swishing a glass of single malt whiskey in his hand. "Ah, Ms. Haruno, is Hinata ready for me to come see her?" He asked, smiling when he saw my nod. "Good, I'll go see her now, thank you." I wasn't done yet, old man, I wanna hear this conversation.

I halfway stormed off after him, ready to protest that I needed to hear this, but when I got to Hinata's door her dad was waiting there for me, ushering me in. Not exactly what I expected but I'm not complaining.

Hinata did her best to sit up on her elbows, the medicine already kicking in and showing its effects. "Wassup dad?" She mumbled out, showing the side effects of the drugs she was on, mainly grogginess and exhaustion. She let out a yawn, covering her mouth politely.

He just smiled a real and genuine smile, not something you see very often from the stoic businessman, taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "I just wanted to see if you were feeling better, It's not everyday my daughter leaves for a vacation and comes home directly to the hospital." Admittedly he had a point, but I know he knows something,

She just smiled, croaking out a thanks before his face got serious again. "Although there is more to it." Yep, there's what I was looking for. "You see, I had a feeling you'd come down with this eventually considering you take after your mom and she, well, she had the same disease when we first met." I know her mom is a touchy subject, not a topic he brings up without reason.

The problem is that Hinata didn't even flinch at the mentioning of her mother, putting on a stoic face to match her fathers. "If you knew, then why...why didn't we take care of this before it happened?" Her timid and fragile voice spoke, trying its hardest not to falter but to stay strong.

But we all knew she was tearing apart on the inside. "Hinata, back then when you were born is when she first showed signs, and if you remember correctly she was sicker than anything right before Hanabi was born." I...I think I know what he's getting at, but if this is true, then...

No one said anything for the next few minutes, leaving a numbing feeling in the air. "Mr. Hiashi, are you saying that this disease...are you saying that this disease Hinata has is...is the one that caused her moms passing?" Not being able to stand the silence anymore I cut in, asking the question that was burning in mine and Hinata's head, surely.

He turned his head and with his stone-faced, statuesque glare he nodded. "Yes, it's been believed so for a while. But medical technology and research on this back in the day was pretty much nil, meaning no one knew, not even until now, thirteen years later." It makes sense, things back then were a little, er, _tough_.

We turned to look at Hinata, who was as apathetic and void of emotion as she's ever been, the only emotion showing in the form of a single tear running down her face which let us know she was still able to feel sadness. "So the-the combination of Hanabi's b-birth and this god awful d-disease killed her?" Her question tore me apart, the bitterness in it cutting through clearly.

Hiashi gave her a sad nod, trying to figure put what his plans were next. "Hinata, I should've mentioned this way earlier when you asked how, but-" For the first time ever, I saw Hiashi Hyuuga get cut off, and not only cut off but by his daughter, _and_ he stopped, letting her do it.

"Go, please, just go." She practically whispered, pulling the blanket up to her chin. Her father tried to protest but she cut him off again, sharper than last time. "No, just save it please, I'm exhausted, sick as fuck and I can't handle this right now, so just _please_ go." I don't know what's more impressive, cursing in front of him or cutting him off.

Twice, at that! And she got away with both of them! "I...I am sorry, Hinata, I trust you will seek me when you're ready to talk." With that, he bowed deeply and left.

Once the door clicked shut, a good five minutes of nothingness passed, neither of us knowing what the hell to say in this situation. I know she wanted to breakdown and cry, but she was staying strong. This is honestly a job best handled by Naruto, honestly, he knows her more than any of us.

As if on cue, the door swung open revealing the blonde haired boy I was thinking of. "Sakura, I can't thank you enough for helping Hinata, but I'll take it from here. Sasuke is waiting for you downstairs with his car." He smiled and said, walking towards the bed.

I looked over my shoulder before shutting the door, smiling as he crawled into bed gently with her, the beginning signs of her breaking down showing. Heading downstairs I saw Sasuke waiting for me outside, sitting in the drivers seat looking forward.

Smiling I walked over to the car and got in, kissing him on the cheek quickly and hugging him. "How was the little side trip, Sasuke-kun?" I asked an innocent question which was met by a solid and apathetic glare, one that shivered me to my bones.

"Me and Naruto found out what made Choji kill himself." He said in a monotonous and dead tone.

Oh boy, this just never stops does it?

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV** _  
_

* * *

 _May 30th, 3:30 pm.  
_

Well we made it, despite almost smashing into a total of two cows and ten sheep. Sure taking the rural road route to the major speedway shaved off thirty minutes of drive time but man was it fun not hitting animals and fucking up your car.

Not only that but it _is_ in the middle of nowhere, with no signal and no one around to help. But alas, we have arrived at our destination, Shell Village, a resort village filled with shops upon shops and hotels upon hotels. But there is one reason we're actually here, and it's pretty simple.

"I love Sakura but dude even _I_ need time away from her, honestly." Yeah, we're pretty much here to have some man-time together to talk about things and think about things, some specific and some not so specific. It's pretty much a grab bag of adventure and conversation.

Right now our eyes were set on one place and one place only, a wing restaurant called Shell City Wings, known for having the best barbecue wings out of anywhere in the entire great villages area, including Suna and their legendary hot wings. "Man, I feel you there, I'm just ready to chow down on some wings and watch the baseball game." I said, reminding him of the Konoha Whirlwinds game today, which starts at three forty five.

He nodded as I pulled into a parking spot. It was a Monday so thankfully the business wasn't as high, meaning we got a booth immediately. We ordered our drink, mine being a fruit juice native to here and his being a Molotov cider, which is a cinnamon cider. Alcohol free, of course, it does taste good though.

We sat idly by watching the first few innings of the game blow by, the Whirlwinds up by five already by the time our wings got here.

Normally we'd eat the hot ones, but I chose honey barbecue and Sasuke got lemon teriyaki, both in memoriam of our fallen friend, Choji. I don't know why but today on the drive here both of us started thinking about him and the way things have gone recently.

"I just don't know exactly what would've made him do it, I know he was sad and depressed, but my stomach tells me there's something more to it, yano what I mean?" I said getting a nod and a muffled 'mhmm' from Sasuke, who was tearing into his wings.

After wiping his mouth with a napkin and washing down the food with a sip of his drink he answered me. "Yeah I know, the part that's bugging me more than anything right now is we just don't know what or _who_ could've done this to him. He didn't have any girlfriends that you know of, right?" I shook my head and thought for a second.

What had happened with him in the days leading up to the Christmas break? I don't remember seeing him in any sort of drug form, he did seem a bit sadder than usual but I couldn't muster up the reasoning to go question him without spooking him away.

The only thing distinct I remember is I saw him with..."Kiba." I growled out, seeing the dog lover in the restaurant laughing and joking with two other guys. Sasuke looked over and balled his fists up, glaring angrily. "I have a feeling if anyone had anything to do with it, it'd be that loser. But what's he doing repping the Eighteen Sixties dark green and crimson?" It was a good question.

He had a normal outfit of jeans, tee shirt and regular running shows, but the dark green bandana and crimson bandana around his neck had me curious. "Tch, knowing his dumbass he went and got involved in some gang shit. Maybe..." Me and Sasuke shared a look, thinking the same thing.

Maybe the sudden suicide was spurred by something gang related. Only one way to find out. "So...we beat him up right?" I asked, getting a serious look from Sasuke and a nod in agreement. "It's not gonna be easy though."

Or at least, I don't think so. I wouldn't be surprised if he was packing heat now like the idiot he really is. Well, time to go to the quick thought drawing table.

* * *

 _4:30 pm._

If we wanted to do this and be home in the time we said we would be we'd need to be quick, stealthy, and-"Oi, pussy ass bitch, over here!" Sasuke yelled, making me thrust my face into my palm and sigh.

We managed to single him out outside the wing place when he went out for a smoke. Coincidentally he parked a few cars down from my truck making it easier to engage him if need be. "Oho, who're you calling a pussy duck head?" Kiba, ya may wanna be careful, even _I_ know not to tease him about his hair anymore. Not since then...

Laughing a bit he stepped towards us, tossing his cigarette aside. "We just wanna ask you a few questions man, specifically about _that_." I pointed to the bandanas he was wearing around his neckline. When he gave me a questioning look I spoke. "Are you really in that gang, the Eighteen Sixties?"

With another round of laughing he nodded proudly. "Yeah, they thought I was one of their most promising recruits in a long time and sent me down here for...well, something that I can't mention. I'm sure you know why. Anything else?" I just wanted to smash that proud and smug look off of his face, but held myself back.

Sasuke's turn to talk, which he chose his next words carefully. "Just one more, last time we saw Choji before he committed suicide was with you, would you happen to know what was going on with him?" We really are just looking for closure, honestly, nothing more and certainly nothing less.

Unfortunately for Kiba he doesn't watch what he says, rushing into things head on. "Ha, that fat ass? Yeah I was with him before the coward did that shit. But no, I certainly don't know anything _at all_." The way he worded it _certainly_ meant he _did_ know _something_. When the full statement hit me and Sasuke, our fists tightened, knuckles white.

I couldn't take anymore, grabbing the boy by the front of his shirt and punched him, watching him fall to the ground with a shocked look on his face. To prevent him from moving I put a knee on his chest and seethed out a sentence. "Look, bitch boy, you know something, and we want answers. This is either gonna go the easy way or the painful way, got it?" I asked, feeling Sasuke rest a hand on my shoulder.

Luckily we were deep enough into the parking lot that no one saw what was coming next. Sasuke took his foot and planted it squarely onto the dog boys throat, making him gasp for air. "What he said, either we're gonna get answers, or you're gonna get seriously hurt. Which is it?" I don't like doing this, but this is important.

When Sasuke let up a little he grunted out words, trying to form them into a sentence. "What is there to say, the fat ass didn't want to join the gang so he got put on the hit list, it's not my fault he took his own life before we could. It probably didn't help saying that we were gonna kill his dad and rape his fat ass mom-urk!" That was enough.

Wrapping my hand around his throat I squeezed, intent on killing the new gang member. "You little shit, you think you're cool because you're in a gang now? Fuck that, you can't even fight me one on one." I let go of his neck, dropping him to the ground.

Taking the hand stuck out from Sasuke I helped myself up. "Sacks of shit like you don't deserve to live, have fun being in a gang before your bitch ass gets shot." Sasuke uttered, spitting right in his face and letting me kick him a few times before we got in my truck and sped away.

Finally we got to go to our original destination. Zori's Jewelry, one of the finest in the great villages.

What for? Well...

* * *

 _8:15 pm._

I had just reached Hinata's house, Sasuke in tow in his car behind me. Rumbling into the driveway I turned my truck off and got out, walking up to the front door and getting ready to knock. To my surprise it swung open before I could tap my knuckles against it.

Hiashi met me at the door, smiling an uncharacteristic real smile. "Ah, I figured it was you who was here, Naruto." He said lowly, ushering me in. I could smell the strong smell of whiskey on his breath. "Hinata's in her room laying down and Sakura is up there too if you wish to let her know Sasuke is here." I nodded firmly, taking a step away.

Before I could make it pas him, he stopped me, putting his hand on my arm. I went to protest him, but he made a shushing sound, leaning into my ear.

"She's a bit ruffled up right now, Naruto, I had just told her she has the same disease that caused her mothers untimely death." Well that's just what I wanted to hear. "Now, before you get your feathers ruffled, she'll be fine, Hana's situation was... _different_ to say the least. She needs you more than me right now, Naruto, I'm trusting you to fix my mistakes, okay?" Better, but still...I nodded anyways, heading up to the room.

After I got to her room and dismissed Sakura for the night I kicked my shoes off and climbed into bed, gently wrapping my arms around her and kissing her cheek. Even with her medicine her skin was burning up and almost searing to the touch.

Her body shook a little with a few small coughs and a couple sniffles as she turned and looked at me, a dead look in her eye. "Hey Naruto-kun." She managed to squeak out, tears forming in here eyes, with a few leaking out slowly but surely. I just smiled at her, kissing her on the lips.

Using all of her power she rolled over and put her chest against mine, where I felt her racing pulse pounding. "Hey, is my princess feeling any better?" I asked, getting a nod from her head, which was buried into chest, where I felt it getting damp from a combination of her sweat and her tears.

We laid like this for the next thirty minutes, which were spent with her silently crying, with a few intervals of sobbing that lasted just a few minutes each. When she had cried as much as she could she looked up at me, her lip quivering. "N-Naruto-kun, I know I shouldn't be b-but I'm afraid." Afraid of what? Dying?

Swooping my head in I kissed her deeply on the lips, inhaling the scent of her shampoo with a deep breath through my nose. "Hinata-hime, you have nothing to fear at all, 'cuz I won't let anything happen." She went to tell me what her dad said, but I shushed her. "Your dad explained it to me, love, and I'm here for you, and so is he, we both love you more than anything." After I said that she went quiet.

Soon after, her face was buried back into my chest, as she wept openly into it, her cries muffled by the shirt I was wearing.

Tonight was the first night she had cried herself to sleep in forever, at least that I know of. I'm just glad it was _with_ me, not _over_ me.

* * *

 **ASUKA-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 30th, 9:30 pm._

What else was there to do but just lay her, holding my lover in my arms as we silently waited for them to come. It's gonna be any minute now, I know they don't like to sit around and twiddle their thumbs. No, they take care of business, and they do it quickly and viciously, like a deadly pack of wolves.

Ino was being surprisingly strong, only shedding a total of two or three tears max. We made love one last time, and that was bittersweet. I can only hope her parents don't come home anytime soon. I'd hate for them to get hurt in the crossfire.

They've done so much for me ever since I left the gang as an 'active member'. Once you're in, you're in, no ifs, ands or buts about it, there is _no_ way out, barring you die or the gang gets deactivated by way of the police dismantling and shutting them down, but crooked cops rule the Los Kono parts of town, leaving a fall back territory.

Back to her parents, they took me in with very few questions asked, not even questioning Ino for loving me. They only cared about doing the right thing and making their daughter happy, which is coincidentally what I want for Ino. I just wanted to make her happy, and now it seems my past has caused both of us trouble, getting us into shit with arguably the biggest gang in the nation of Fire.

So what are we supposed to do? We can't run to the police, they'll end up arresting me for being a former member and Ino will be left with a hole in her heart. The daimyo wouldn't be much help, and it's too late for that anyways, his offices close at five pm, leaving us screwed for help.

And now the waiting game is tearing me apart. I know it's coming, and it's coming soon, it's just a matter of _when_.

It seems that answer was found rather quickly, as two all black former police cars rolled up, and about six people got out, leaving the getaway drivers behind in the car for assurance. Peaking through the window I found that Kiba jerk wielding a pistol, smirking up at us.

"Ino, I love you so much, I'm sorry this is how it's ending." I cried out into Ino's chest, letting the tears fall out of my eyes now. She shushed me, trying to quiet me down and calm me down, staying strong all the while.

"It's ok, Asuka-hime, this is how things are meant to be and I can't think of anyone else I would rather die next to besides my red headed stud of a babe." Even in situations like this she found a way to make me smile. And then we kissed, deep into each others lips.

I jumped when I heard a sharp kick hit the front door, but it didn't budge. Kiba cursed, kicking it again and again, but it didn't give. Not that he would get another chance, as we heard shots ring out, but they weren't being fired at us...they were being fired at the would-be attackers.

What in the hell is happening? Carefully I crept up to the window and peaked out of it, seeing the Eighteen Sixties gang members in a harsh firefight with a group of what looked like twenty soldiers, armed to the teeth with assault rifles and enough ammo to take them on for _hours_. The two drivers had already been taken out, by sniper fire I'm assuming by the accuracy of the shots.

The other six were held down by fire, a few stray bullets hitting the house in random spots but their accuracy was unbelievable. Kiba was cowering in a ball of cowardly shit as the rest of the members tried to return fire.

Watching as much as I could I saw four member get shot down, leaving it to be a twenty vs two matchup. When the last man went down, leaving Kiba solo, he threw his arms up, dropping his gun and allowing the military to swoop in and handcuff him.

Naturally, it wasn't over. We barely got to sigh a breath of relief when the door was kicked in fully, and ten of the soldiers swarmed in the house, clearing it and making their way upstairs to our room.

When they reached her room, they kicked the door in and found me and Ino on the ground, our hands up in the air. "Captain, I have two women in here, identities unknown."

That's when Ino decided to speak up, pointing to her wallet on the nightstand next to me. "Hey, I'm the daughter of the owner of this house, Inoichi Yamanaka, check my ID, it's in the pink wallet on that nightstand!" She said in a hurried and stressed voice as two soldiers cuffed us tightly.

The person she yelled at, a sergeant I'm assuming, went and checked, confirming it was her and nodding to her. "Sir! One of the women is the daughter of the owner of this house, and it's Mr. Yamanaka!" A private yelled out, waiting for the captain to enter the room.

He did a minute later, a towering man stout and built like a tank. "Okay, take them in anyways, they need to be debriefed about what happened tonight and why we're here in the first place." The captain commanded. They started to drag us out still cuffed when the captain turned and faced us and them again. "Take the cuffs off, dumbass, they aren't the enemy anymore!" He yelled, before storming off, stringing curses and insults together.

They did as they were told, before leading us down to the cars that had pulled up, unmarked police cars that were basically bulletproof. We were thrown into the back of one together, thankfully no longer cuffed, allowing us to hug onto each other as the car took off, taking us to where we needed to be.

Fifteen minutes later and we were pulled out of the car and led by the awaiting six armed soldiers to a debriefing room. We were instructed to sit and await the captain who we saw earlier. Hopefully he'd come soon.

I didn't know what to say to the blonde haired girl next to me, just twining our fingers together squeezing her hand tight as we processed what had just transpired.

One things for certain, we were _alive_.

With authority the steel door swung open, and the towering man came in, followed by the sergeant and the private from earlier. "Ms. Yamanaka, and Ms. Asuka, my name is Captain Shunto Ibachi of the K5K, and welcome to out headquarters for debriefing of what just happened." He said in a lot cooler voice than earlier.

But the question still remained, one only I could ask right now. "W-what _did_ just happen, sir?" I asked timidly, trying not to anger the captain that was standing before us, waiting to give us an answer.

He smiled, tossing a manila folder down onto the table and allowing us to read it, and what we found was shocking to say the least. "Ms. Asuka, who's last name we can't find in any records, ever since you 'left' the Eighteen Sixties we've been watching you, like we have other members, y'all just didn't know it. We were hoping that you'd lead us to some of the hideouts, but getting a new fledgling member is just as good, since he'll talk a whole hell of a lot easier than the others."

To say what I saw was shocking would be and understatement. Pictures of me in the gang, doing deals, picking up loads, and recent ones with me and Ino, even us at the beach house. "So you just kept tabs on me?" I asked, getting a nod from the three men. "Normally I'd be mad but...damn that was a good job." I laughed, giving 'em props.

If you could manage to follow one of us for that long then you must be pretty good. "Thanks, stick tight and we'll get you debriefed fully and have you sign a NDA agreement about what you've seen and then you'll be clear to go home and explain this to Inoichi." He must have known him, judging by the genuine hearty laughter he had for this.

One more question, though. "Wait." I said, making him stop before he left through the door. "So, I'm not gonna go to jail for being a former member?" The question came out shakily but it came across clearly.

Laughing more he shook his head, wagging his finger. "You believed that? They tell new members that they'll go to jail either way if they're caught after they 'leave' the gang to scare them into staying. And you _fell_ for it."

His laughter followed him as he left the room, trailing down the hallway and leaving me in a shock of sorts.

Can we please just go fucking home now?

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi Kiba! And bye Kiba! Don't worry, he won't be gone _forever_ , life has its ways of bringing people back into prevalence. So we wrapped up part of the Chouji Suicide saga, bringing more closure to that, closed up the Eighteen Sixties saga (for now...muahahahaha!). Next chapter will not slow down at all, this is a freight train that's just gonna keep rolling along the tracks and steaming ahead to the destination, which is my personal goal, getting to thirty chapters!

I know there's a lot more stories with more chapters, more words and better writing, but you chose mine to read, and for that, I applaud you and thank you from the bottom of my heart. Reviews are so amazing, so lets see if we can get those up, and I'll never complain about favorites and follows. Happy summer guys, and as always, ja ne!


	22. Amnesia

**A/N:** *breathes in* _boy_ , things are about to get intense. In this chapter we end the beach house saga and begin one more saga with one more coming next week that will run parallel to this one today, but they won't intersect much if any at all. One of them will end next chapter, so if you read all the way through and want to guess which one will, PM me, if not then just buckle up and prepare for a ride, one helluva ride.

Some of you may hate me for one of the sagas, but it had to be done _eventually_ , might as well do it right now. And no, Kiba will _not_ be in this chapter, so I apologize to those who may have been looking forward to it. Sorry if these next chapters aren't as happy-go-lucky as the other ones, but I promise it won't be like that for too long.

I thank everyone who has stuck around and tunes in every Tuesday for the next entry in this story. Shoutout to anyone who favorited, followed or left me a review, I appreciate all the support you guys may give me. As always, enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters besides the lovely Asuka-chan, nor do I own any the lyrical reference in this chapter, it belongs to Suicidal Tendencies. And the '...dive' reference is pure gold, so there's that.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 30th, 8:45 pm._ **  
**

Ah, home sweet _fucking_ home. Oh how I've longed to feel the comfort of my own room, with my own things and my own feel for it. I love going out but nothing, in my opinion, can beat the feeling of the room you've grown up in, smoked pot in, and had copious amounts of sex in.

Or, at least, that's what _I_ think, and I'm sure the others are somewhat glad to finally be home in the comfort of their own houses and bedrooms. Probably none more than the dark haired Hinata, I could tell just by the look on her face that she was in a lot of pain and discomfort from the disease she has. It's nasty from what Sakura told me.

I'm sure there's more to it, but it's probably not something Hinata wants being shared just yet. If I had to guess it's probably just some embarrassing side effect of the meds she's on or a symptom of the illness, like explosive diarrhea or projectile vomiting. Either way, our little 'thing' is on hold indefinitely.

When we got home I threw the car in park in the driveway and got out, swiftly making my way over to Sakura's door and opening it for her. Why, some ask, and the answer is simply chivalry, my friend, a trait that's dying quicker than a man in the Suna desert with no water.

Sakura just smiled at me and lowly thanked me, leaning her head onto my arm after I wrapped an arm around her, escorting her into the house in a sense. I know my parents wanna hear about the trip, but right now is not the best of times to talk about that, no, there's more _pressing_ issues. "Oi, Sasuke, where do you think your going, mister?" Oh come on, mom, right now isn't the best of times for talks.

"Yeah, your mothers right, you think you're gonna disappear for four days and not come talk to your parents when you get home?" Thanks for having my back, dad, you're a real fucking champ.

Seeing no logical or reasonable way out of this, I grunted and made my way towards the couple that was reclining on the couches in the living room. "Ne, I'm exhausted still dad, it _was_ a busy weekend after all." Yeah, they're not gonna buy it, but it's worth a shot.

Of course my all seeing mom sensed a little _tenseness_ in me, and had to point it out to everyone. "Sasuke you seem a little tense, are...are you on drugs?" What? What the fuck kinda question or accusation was that?

Puttering and sputtering I tried to form an answer, coughing slightly. "N-no? I'm just thinking, mom, what makes you think I'm on drugs?" Honestly, can't I be a _little_ tense?

Sakura tried to cut in, only to be cut off by my mom again. "No, you're not thinking, you're on drugs, normal people don't act in that way!" She was getting livid and intense now, heating up while my dad looked on and smirked. The bastard set me up!

With a harsh grunt I started to get annoyed, my throat drying up in thirst. "Mom can you just give me a Pepsi please? All I want is a Pepsi." And she wouldn't give it to me. All I wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi, and she wouldn't give it to me, just one Pepsi!

And then she laughed, sighing happily. "Son I'm just fucking with you, you can have a Pepsi." Damn right imma get a fucking Pepsi. "But for real, what has you all cranky and moody tonight? Are you on your man-period? Wait! Do man periods sync up like women's? Oh my-Fugaku, Fugaku! Are you on your man-period? No shit you are! Oh I've gotta text Kushina about this...what?" She caught the glares of my dad and me...and my damn Pepsi...and lowered her phone slowly.

"Uh, guys? Are you ok?" Sakura piped in, waving her hand in front of my face like I was a statue of some sorts...a statue holding a Pepsi! "You got your Pepsi, you had your fun and you turned on Sasuke, so can we all just relax now?" She said, gesturing to me, my mom and my dad, respectively.

I just laughed a little, walking over to one of the couches and tugged Sakura along by her hand. "Ah, I gotta admit that was a good one ma, I wasn't quite expecting that." I said, taking a seat with the pink haired girl next to me. If there's anyone I can talk to about this, it's them, they always have the best advice and ideas.

Retelling the story I saw the looks on everyone's faces flash from amused, to concerned, to pissed, back to concerned, once more amused, angered, and finally, for the last time, concerned...dive. I left out some of the parts involving the beat down, storing those away for me and Naruto only.

My dad was the first one to speak, leaning forward from his spot on the couch and putting a hand on his chin. "You know if you have proof and a testimony that he said that and was wearing that stuff, like from one of the waitresses in the restaurant, you can put him away right?" He said, thinking of a way to do this effectively.

Sighing I nodded, knowing what he was saying. "Yeah, but then again we _did_ beat the hell out of him, and that wouldn't look good in court." Not to mention he could press charges against us for an unprovoked attack. Even if Naruto testified for us, two vs one, what we did to him was more than self defense.

Mom looked over to us and nodded her head in agreement, knowing the Konoha court system better than all of us. "He's right, they'll be able to tell what you guys did and why you did it, the court system in Konoha has their ways, and they're also a bit crooked." True that, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the judges were 'on salary'.

Hearing Sakura pound her hand on the coffee table in the living room I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "No, I'm not just gonna calm down, he can't be allowed to get away with this, Sasuke-kun! There has to be _something_ we can do, _anything_ at all!" She said, trying to hold back her tears and keeping them from dropping.

And the truth is we all knew there was something we could do about it, just the important question is _what_?

For the next two hours we sat by, idly talking and trying to figure out what we could do about it. For the most part we drew blanks, but at ten thirty we finalized a decision for what we would do, making notes and trying to fully comprehend it.

I went to text Shika, knowing that he was surely up right now, but as soon as I grabbed my phone both mine and Sakura's buzzed, indicating a text. Unlocking it I saw it was a text from Ino, and on of importance judging by the time it was sent and who it got sent to, being everyone in our little group of familial friends.

 _"So to start this little mass recipient text off, Kiba is in jail after he ran into me and Asuka at a pizza restaurant and tried to hit on us. Well we, naturally, told him no and to piss off, and he got offended because Asuka 'broke the code' of the stupid ass gang he's in now. A little while ago they showed up, eight people, six shooters in total and two drivers, and attempted to break into my house and shoot us. But before they could get in the Konoha military spec ops showed up and gunned all of them, minus Kiba, down, and took him off to jail. We just got released fifteen minutes ago and are catching a cab back home to meet with my parents, so please send good vibes that this will go well for us. Much love, Ino and Asuka."_

Well, that answers the question of _what_ we can do. I looked at Sakura, who looked at me, and then turned to my parents. "Looks like we don't have to do anything anymore, the K5K took care of things." Sakura said, smiling a bit at the revelation, handing the phone to my parents.

Watching along as they smiled and my dad bragged about how 'them boys take care of everything' I sat back, feeling a weight releasing its hold on my chest.

Choji, brother, it looks like we finally got some retribution for you. Rest easy, friend, rest easy...

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 30th, 11:15 pm._

To say that we were overjoyed to find out that there was some retribution and final closure for Choji was an understatement. I'm sure if she could Temari would be on her feet dancing like a maniac, but we settled for just laying in bed and smiling.

Although it sucks that it had to come at the expense of Ino and Asuka almost being gunned down, I'm sure they're happy too, and that they would've wanted this.

I wonder if they know, though...eh, they'll find out whenever we all meet up like we usually do whenever big things happen with us. Got arrested? Yep, we meet up. Got a woman pregnant? You guessed it, we meet up. Got relentlessly tortured by the best around? No doubt about it, we're gonna meet up the day after.

Why the day after? Well that's simple, because we all have time to process things and collect ourselves instead of bitching and whining about it the day it happened, when emotions are running high and the event, whatever it happens to be, is still fresher than peppermint. Lame puns ftw, though.

However, I have more pressing things to attend to. Sure, sex while the girl is pregnant is a thing that is debated still to this day, she has no problem with it. _No_ problem, not event the _slightest_ problem with it, _at all_. I was a bit skeptical at first, since I heard that the oxytocin released when a female has an orgasm can induce premature labor. But we're, what, three weeks till her due date?

If the little girl was born right now it wouldn't be all that bad, allowing us to unleash a little bit, in a sense. Not like go hardcore with it, but we can have sex without the fear of potentially making the baby come completely premature, risking birth defects and any irregularities.

Temari's raised hormones and growing chest has made even me, the notoriously lazy and apathetic man, into a horny little kid again. Hormones, gotta love em, and I mean that quite literally, cuz they're like a drug, they grab you by the chin and scream 'love me! love me!' and you have pretty much no choice at all.

So now I find myself in quite the familiar position, laying in bed with my soon-to-be wife and child bearer, who is laying in my bed with just a pair of panties and a shirt of mine on, laying with her butt pressed directly into my, well, my penis.

In all honestly it's a sound plan to get me riled up that way if she doesn't like the sex or anything she can just blame me for coming on to her. Women, that's all I can say.

To be honest it was almost like a game now to see who could last the longest before they caved in and made the first move. Before when she wasn't pregnant she would win nine times out of ten when she had a better reign on her hormones, but now the tides have turned, all the training finally paying off. I give her five minutes, tops.

That leaves me five minutes to sit her and continue my train of thought, because why not? I have to admit it's fun resisting temptation all the while thinking about things that are completely unrelated to the topic and situation at hand. She was throwing her best 'accidental' wiggles and bumps at me, but I was a tank being shot with a handgun.

No offense, honey, but it's just not gonna work. These next five minutes passed by until she finally broke, slowly rolling over to face me, smiling brightly. "Ne, I don't think I really have to say anything, do I?" Not by now, love, I think I got the point. I smiled back to her, shaking my head before surprising her with a quickly executed kiss, pushing my lips onto hers and sliding my tongue into her mouth.

My hands worked their way around and down her back before firmly planting and grasping onto her ass, which I'll admit has grown bigger since she's gotten pregnant. In a good way, of course, it's got better size and shape surprisingly, especially the last one.

The only thing I wasn't surprised about was her boobs growing in size, literally _everyone_ told me that, including my mom! So you know it's true when there's women telling you what every man dreams of, big 'ol tits. Well, at least that's the stereotype. It's true for me though, damn it, so let me have my nice things while I can.

Anyways, back to the situation at hand. I slid a finger under the waistband of her panties and slowly pulled them down, feeling the tension in my boxers rise as my erection started to press against them. It didn't help the she kept bumping it, making it beg to get free.

She knew this too, continuing her slight movements while I worked her black and white lacy underwear down, getting them off her eventually. Effort guys, it pays off in the end, don't be rushing into things and just ripping them off. Take your time, enjoy unwrapping the present before you get to it.

I felt shivers go down my body when she trailed her hand down my side slowly and softly, leading up to my boxers. She grasped the cloth by my thigh and started tugging them down, letting my rock hard member jump out. I groaned a little when she gripped it and started slowly working it, rubbing her hand up and down it's length.

If she wanted to play that game, then I'll play back. Deciding to hit her where she's hitting me I forced my hand between her legs, feeling the insane amount of heat and moisture coming from her pussy. I slid a finger into her, making her moan and gasp at the introduction of my finger to her insides.

We continued this for a few minutes, her grinding on my finger, her breath shuddering a bit when I buried my second finger in her. "S-Shika, please..." She moaned out.

Not needing to say any more than that I broke from her, sitting up on my knees while she flipped over onto her hands and knees, resting her arms and head on the bed to relieve some of the weight from her stomach. Grinning I spread her cheeks with my hands and dipped my tongue into her, licking and sucking on her and taking in her moans of pleasure and begs for more.

After warming her up a good amount I pulled my head back and scooted my hips up to her and lined my cock up with her trembling and heated pussy and, without much warning, started sliding all nine inches of me into her, going all the way in. I saw her grip the bedsheets, trying not to moan out too loud.

My parents were gone for the night anyways, but the neighbors don't wanna be woken up by this. I moved my hands to their positions, right on her hips, and gripped them tightly, starting my motions and thrusting in and out of her.

I knew this wouldn't go on for too long, so I made it worth it for her, making my movements slow and sensual, hitting every spot I could and maximizing her pleasure. If she had been standing she would've surely buckled by now, ending up on the floor, and that's not comfortable.

Ten minutes passed of me sensually loving on her and filling her up with all of me, kissing her neck and building up her orgasm before it hit, exploding all over my cock and thighs, her juices squirting and leaking everywhere as she bit her lip, whimpering and shaking.

Pulling out of her I let her roll over to the side and collapse onto her back, laying there in a sweaty mess of panting and moaning. "Baby..." She moaned out, blinking rapidly and trying to raise herself and failing. This wasn't like her normal post-coitus self, worrying me a bit.

"Hey, Tem-hime, what's wrong?" I asked, worried for the safety of my fiancée and my unborn baby girl. She got herself up on her elbows with my help.

Looking at me she managed to smirk a little bit, trying to form words. "I don't think my wedding dress is gonna fit anymore." Oh...why not? I'm not sure we sweated that much during sex that she lost that much weight...oh...shit...

She caught my serious look and just smiled softly. "So, you mean..." I trailed off, looking at her for an answer, getting it in the form of a nod. "It's coming..." I breathed out, not a question but a statement. It hit me a second later. "Shit, you're about to go into labor!" I semi-yelled, making Temari laugh at my antics as I jumped out of bed and started throwing my clothes on.

Gathering her clothes I helped her get dressed into a pair of panties and a bra, sweatpants and a big tee shirt. "Silly, she's coming yes but don't have a heart attack, cool down and take control of the situation and we'll be fine." How is she being so calm and collected right now?

But she was right. I stopped, took a few deep breaths and looked at her. "You're right, are you ready to go?" I asked, smiling when she nodded and kissed me on the cheek.

I grabbed my keys and scooped her into my arms and carried her to the car, her panting and groaning getting more prevalent on the way. "Okay, just because I get a little panty and groany doesn't mean you can lose focus and start worrying about me, ok? This happens when you're going into labor." She asked me, getting a nod from me.

Laughing a little bit I planted her in the passengers seat and leaned the seat back, carefully belting her in at least by the waist. I got into the drivers seat and quickly turned the engine over, throwing it into gear and backing out, before taking off towards the hospital.

Deciding it'd be smart to do this I dialed the emergency number, being answered by a calm voice asking me what my emergency is. "Yeah, my wife is going into labor and I'm on my way to Senju Memorial hospital, can you inform them to have someone waiting for me?" The lady at the end of the line confirmed that, letting me know someone will be waiting at Bay Eight for me and to just drive my car up there.

Admittedly I was speeding a little but I didn't care, letting Temari grip my right hand and squeeze it, groaning a bit since that was my once injured hand but I let her do it nonetheless, handling it and keeping on.

Ten minutes later I found myself at the hospital, driving around to find Bay Eight, where a crew of doctors were waiting with a gurney and everything. I drove into it and threw my car into park, quickly hopping out and rushing over to the passengers seat and opened the door, helping the doctors get here onto the gurney.

My mind was in overdrive right now, and I barely heard the doctor tell me that someone would come take my car and park it in valet for me. But I nodded, grabbing my phone from the center console and ran into the hospital after the bed that had my fiancée and my soon to come baby girl on it.

Someone's gotta let everyone know though...how am I gonna balance all of this? It's ten past midnight now, on May thirty-first, and I just had sex with my fiancée and now she's going into labor. Life, man, give me break please...

I didn't expect to actually catch one, hearing a familiar voice from the left of me as I waited outside of the room, letting the doctors do their preparations and get ready for the next eight plus hours. "Shikamaru, I wasn't expecting to see you here, but then again I suppose you could feel the same about me." Shino? What're you doing here?

The dark haired man looked over to me looking for an answer. "You mean you haven't heard about Temari being pregnant? Word travels fast in school after all." He nodded in agreement, walking up to me from his spot in the waiting room behind me and to the left.

"I have indeed heard, yes, but I also heard she isn't due for another three weeks. But breath easy, three weeks isn't as bad as a month or two early, I have all the faith that you, Ms. Temari and the baby will be just fine." He spoke in his cool and smooth tone, almost monotonous.

But his words did calm me down just a bit, and I put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks Shino, I know we don't really know each other but it means a lot hearing that from you." I got his answer in the form of a courteous nod, which said 'you're welcome' loud and clear to me. "I need to text everyone though, especially my parents, and let them know what's going on." I said, unlocking my phone and preparing the text.

He nodded sharply, turning to walk away but stopped. "If...if you want to come sit with me and wait for the doctors to be finished preparing I wouldn't mind." I heard him say lowly, extending the olive branch to me, something he's not known for doing, well, _at all_.

I smiled and nodded. "I would like that, yes, thank you again." He answered again, this time murmuring his answer.

Five minutes down, and I don't know how many more to go...

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 30th, 11:15 pm._

It was just past eleven by the time we made it back home to my parents, who were sitting in the living room looking as pissed as they ever have been. And in this moment I knew that this was _not_ gonna go well for me and the red headed girl next to me.

Nevertheless we walked into the living and took a seat on a couch opposite of my parents. Their silence spoke more words than ever, showing their disappointment, distaste and anger at what had transpired. News flash, guys, you think you're the only ones angry at what happened? You're sorely mistaken then, parents.

But now it's just a game of who's gonna speak first, something I don't wanna do and neither does Asuka, on the account of I don't know what the fuck to say to them. What was I supposed to say? 'Hey mom, dad, sorry I went lesbian, started dating a former drug dealing gang member who's past got the house shot at.'? Nah, I think not.

Unfortunately, it was my dad who spoke first, clearing his throat harshly. "Ino, I don't even know what to say right now besides I am severely disappointed and angered just as much at what's happened. With that being said, me and your mother have come to a decision on something, even if it's a rather quick one, it needed to be made." When he said this, my heart instantly plummeted.

I had a bad feeling what was coming next, and an even worse feeling that it wasn't gonna be good. "Honey, this isn't an easy choice but this is final. Either Asuka will have to find a place to go, or both of you will." And there it is.

A ton of weight instantly dropped onto my chest as it got harder to breath, and Asuka wasn't feeling any better I could tell. I know she's tearing herself up inside, but it's not just her fault. I want to just reach out and embrace her, but I don't want to show any emotion and give my parents anymore victories over me and her.

Saying nothing, not even an 'okay' I just stood and headed upstairs to my room. Might as well start packing right now. Asuka followed me closely, not wanting to be alone in the room where my parents sat. When I got upstairs, it hit me, hard.

Going from sad to angry in a heartbeat I wanted to punch something, but held it in, just exhaling sharply from my nostrils. Right now was not the time for words, right now is the time to pack my shit and get the fuck out of here before I hit something, or someone, one of the two.

Asuka never got my answer, but I made it clear by grabbing my suitcases and a duffle bag and throwing my still folded laundry and other things into them with accentuation.

"Ino..." I heard Asuka start, but stop and trail off, before picking it back up. "You don't have to do this...I can just leave and you can-" I wasn't gonna hear it, though, cutting her off by slamming my hand against the hard sided suitcase.

Looking at her with a dead serious look I tried to control my voice. "Asuka, no, I'm doing this. You think I'm gonna let my parents doing this separate me and you? Hell to the fucking no. I told you, we're in this together love, and I'm not gonna give up this easy. Now, please pack your stuff so we can go." I ended on a soft note, handing her a bag.

She smiled, a tear forming in her eye as she took the bag from me and started loading up what little she had. It took us thirty minutes to get everything packed, including toiletries and whatnot, and get down the stairs. Without a second look and ignoring my parents trying to call me back for what I assume was a goodbye or something I took my keys and loaded the car down, and got in it, wasting no time in getting away from what I used to call home.

The car jolted away, speeding off to somewhere, anywhere but here. I was still seething with anger but I pushed it back, gripping the steering wheel as hard as I could as I made my way to...somewhere. Honestly I have no idea where to go.

I thought for a second, but decided it's best if we just rent a motel room for now. I had a good chunk of change in my account. "I'm gonna go take all the money out of my account so they can't touch it and we're gonna get a hotel for the night, okay?" I asked the somber girl in the passengers seat.

"I know I don't have to say it but...I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to go this way love. What they did was wrong, and I have all the faith we'll get through this no matter what the cost, but I want you to know I really am sorry, and I promise I'll be by your side all the way." Asuka said, obviously biting back tears and sobs.

Seeing her torn up at this I couldn't help but soften myself a little bit and give her a sad smile. "Asuka, love, even if you had left I would've too, I wouldn't be able to stand it there after this. Let's just do what we can right now." I stopped at a red light and leaned in, kissing her deeply on the lips.

We would get through this...right?

* * *

 _May 31st, 12:30 am._

The only hotel near us that was cheap and open for sudden bookings was thankfully not a crackhead motel, it was decently nice and at fifty bucks a night you can't beat that at all. Considering in total I had four thousand dollars in my savings and seven hundred in my checking account we weren't loaded necessarily.

But this would get us until we could figure something out, what that is I don't know but I know we'll get to it eventually. We quickly unloaded the bags of clothes and whatnot and took them into the hotel room, appropriately numbered room four twenty.

It was nice on the inside, a TV, bathroom with a shower and sink, a single queen sized bed, DVD player and an iron/ironing board. It was a smoking room so it had vents for the smoke to be sucked in and evacuated from the room. I needed a cigarette, too, popping one in my mouth from the pack we picked up on the way from here.

I was never a smoker, but I heard they ease stress and they apparently make you cooler so it's a win-win situation right now. Asuka decided to join me, lighting one as well and sitting on the bed next to me, wrapping a single arm around my shoulder and resting her head on my shoulder.

Now I have time to think and process things. Collecting my thoughts I spoke finally. "I just don't believe it, Asuka, they kicked us out!" I yelled, not too loud though, don't wanna piss the hotel off already. "I mean, I get what happened was shitty but damn, they actually kicked us out! How do they expect us to finish school and work to live on our own?" It was a good question, making me think they didn't think this through.

All I know is I am _beyond_ pissed off, skipping ahead a thousand steps to raging on the inside. "I know, honestly I feel shitty for trying to make you stay now that I see the big picture." The look I gave her stopped that train of thought there. She knows I make my own decisions and mean them now ever since I left my old group of friends.

Sighing I flicked the ashes off the cigarette, tapping it against the edge of the ashtray. "Like I said, we're in this _together_. I know it was your past that kinda caused this but I chose you, Asuka, I chose you knowing that there was this possibility. But right now we have more important things to handle." I said, scratching at my elbow pit.

The marks were still there, the track marks, showing ever so slightly. No amount of scar cream would ever be able to completely hide them. Now I'm stuck with the constant reminder of the mistakes I made, memories I've made and the people that have come and gone in my life.

When I heard my phone buzz I figured it was just my mom or dad trying to get ahold of me, ignoring it for the time being. But when Asuka's phone buzzed at the same time is when I got a little curious. And I just laughed a little. Funny how a little while ago you're sending a huge text saying some important and then you get this.

 _"Temari's having the baby tonight/this morning, Senju Memorial, floor 4 in the labor wing room #147, just knock and I'll come out, it's gonna be a little while."_

Short, sweet and to the point. Gotta love Shikamaru sometimes, right? What better thing to do then go welcome a new life into this world along with our new life. "Ino, you're seeing this right baby?" I turned to Asuka and nodded yes, smiling brighter than a supernova.

In the midst of tonight and it's bullshit of a mess an emotion washed over me and Asuka, filling this room with it. Happiness. And for the first time tonight, we shared a kiss that took away all the pain, making everything just that much _sweeter_.

Now it's time to go be with our friend.

* * *

 _2:45 am._

As I thought the first two hours were nothing but sitting, waiting, talking to Shika and catching up with everyone. Naturally they had a lot of questions about what that text was about, the whole story behind it and what the result of the talks were.

Needless to say they were as pissed as I was about what ended up happening, and they did the usual brainstorming thing. That was, of course, once Sasuke and Sakura got here from getting Shikamaru and Temari some stuff from the house. His parents were out but they'd be here as soon as possible, and hers were on their way in a hour.

Maybe two, depending on how long it takes to get Kankuro and Gaara up, they aren't necessarily morning people. I had a good laugh when we all showed up, listening to Shika try to explain to the nurses that we're all family but not _really_ family was a good lifter. Even more so now as they 'brainstorm' it's worth a chuckle.

"Guys, it's ok, you can stop." I managed to chuckle out, getting their attention and, if I didn't speak soon, momentary silence. "What happened sucks, yeah, but like I told Asuka we're in this together and we'll figure it out. But right now is Shika's time, so let's focus on that, okay?" A few grumbled okays and nods of the heads later and like that the subject was back to the matter at hand.

Unbeknownst to the others Shikamaru looked over to me and mouthed a 'thank you' to me, getting a wink and a nod of acceptance and return. I can't help but wonder how the laboring woman is doing? Temari is tough, but I've heard this has broke the strongest of women.

* * *

 **TEMARI-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 31st, 10:15 am._ **  
**

This pain was unimaginable, but it was over. I refused to break, and I didn't, and the fruits of my literal labor is...it's worth more than anything in the world, and I wouldn't give her up for anything. And for the first time in ten hours I cried tears of joy and happiness rather than pain and torment at my wahoo being torn open.

It was a natural birth, no C-section, indicating that she was a healthy baby girl. Hearing her cry tore me apart on the insides but I knew it was needed.

Shikamaru held strong too, through me almost breaking the previously broken hand he had, and me almost breaking his good, never before injured hand, and seeing me in this state and all the yuckiness I'm sure he saw down there. I think this changes the perspective he has on vaginas now.

A minute of letting our new baby girl cry and open her lungs passed before they handed her to me, which one more time solidified my thoughts. This girl is my world, and _nothing_ is gonna take that from me. "H-hey, little girl." I cooed out, smiling as my soon to be husband ran a hand over her smooth skin.

"Asa." Was all he said, making me look at him with a look of questioning. He chuckled, kissing my forehead softly. "Asa, it means 'born in the morning'. Fitting, right?" Oh, I get it now. I just smiled and nodded. "Asa Nara, from today onwards until the day I die I promise, much like I have your mother, that I will love you and take care of you up until the day it's time for you to make your own way in the world."

Okay stop it, I can't handle this right now. It's _too_ sweet, and I think my heart is going to explode soon. "Shika-k-kun, I l-l-love you so much." I mustered up enough will and strength to say, getting a kiss on the lips from him. "Asa, Asa Nara...I like that..." Exhausted I laid my head back, trying to rest and letting my eyes slip closed.

Before I faded out I heard Shikamaru worriedly ask me if I was okay, before being calmed down by the doctors, who said it was normal for a woman to pass out from this much exhaustion after birth.

I love you, Shikamaru Nara.

And I love you, my precious baby girl, Asa Nara.

Hopefully soon I'll officially become Temari Nara...it has a nice ring to it.

* * *

 _May 31st, time unknown._

W-where was I? I don't know, but all I _do_ know is that this light is blinding me. It might be a hospital, it just has that certain feel to it. A beeping noise to my right that sounded just like a hospital monitor confirmed my suspicions.

But why am I here? I don't remember much of anything from the past year, mainly just me and Shikamaru and his friends. But everything past July of last year is just one big blur of memories. Stuff I cant make out. Is there something I'm missing? I feel like I'm missing something big, it's like a gaping hole in my memories.

Looking down I observed my body, making sure I wasn't some sick war survivor missing ligaments from a surprise attack. I sighed a sigh of relief when I noticed I had all my parts, and a shiny addition to my left ring finger. Was that...was that an _engagement ring_? Shika...I really am missing something pretty big then...

"Hey love, you're awake now." I heard a soft and soothing toned voice say next to me, looking over to find my apparent fiancé sitting in a chair next to my hospital bed. He was smiling and giving me a soft look. I tried to speak, but found it hard to utter anything as my throat was dryer than a Suna desert.

Suna...home...parents...there has to be something there..."S-Shika, I-I n-n-need a d-doctor." Somehow I managed to make that out with my voice shaky and my esophagus like an equivalent to sandpaper. "A-and w-w-water pl-please." Ah, there's the addition I need. He nodded, pouring me a glass of water before heading off to find the doctor.

That left me just sitting here trying my hardest to recall why I'm here, and how me and Shikamaru ended up getting engaged. I knew it was bound to happen, and I'm happy it did, but I still can't help but question why or how, and how it went down...or how I felt...the emotions I must have felt that day, I wish...I just want to reach out and grab them, feel them again, _enjoy_ them again.

It's like they're so far away though. I'm here in this state of apathy and confusion and they're off playing around with the rest of my lost memories. Soon the doctor will return and we can hopefully get this all sorted out. But...do I _want_ to remember?

"Good afternoon Ms. Sabaku, I am doctor Shin-Ke Amatuchi, your postpartum attending physician. How are you feeling?" He was a nice doctor, in his twenties surely.

How was I? I don't know...I don't know..."Doc...I can't remember anything..." I said, drawing a look of confusion from him and a look of worry from Shikamaru. "I mean, I don't remember anything from last July. I don't even know _why_ I'm here and-wait...did you say _postpartum_?" As in, yano, I just had a baby?

He nodded, flipping open my file. That explains the soreness I felt down there...a baby though..."Yes, you just gave birth. Now, you say you don't remember anything from last July, year twenty ten?" I nodded, as he wrote it down in my file. "Hmm, well temporary amnesia after giving birth isn't uncommon, but it's not this long term..."

Shikamaru looked at me and frowned, and kissed the back of my hand. "Baby..." I knew he was hurting inside. I'm sure there was a lot going into this. "I-I don't know what to say but...I love you, and so does our daughter. We'll get through this okay?" One thing I do remember is that I can believe in and trust in him.

A small smile graced my lips and I nodded, feeling a bit happy. "Mm, yes I do believe we can fix this, but I can't." The doctor, Shin-Ke, said. Right as Shika was about to speak the doctor held up a hand. "I've seen only one case like this before, and the only physician that knew how to cure it was a woman named Tsunade Senju."

"Th-that's the principal for Konoha High, right Shika?" If I remember this right. He nodded, putting his hand on his chin while he thought. "How do w-we get her here?" I had to know, hell, I'd hunt the woman down _personally_ if it meant I got my life back.

Shin-Ke chuckled, closing the file and setting it down. "You, Ms. Sabaku, are not going anywhere until we know the full extent of the situation. That and you're still healing, it's only been five hours since you gave birth. I'm actually impressed you're up this early, I expected you to wake up sometime tomorrow or in the middle of the night. You're tough, I'll give you that." Wanna see how tough I am, quack?

When he saw the rising anger and annoyance on my face, rising faster than gas prices in the summer, Shikamaru calmed me down and kissed me on the lips. Oh how I miss that feeling...I think. I don't know much of anything right now besides I'm annoyed, pissed and hungry.

"Hey, hey, it's ok, I'll take care of it. Thank you, doctor, I'll let you know when we get her here." If we do, she might just outright say no. "And we _will_." We will? I mean yeah yes we will! Or so I hope...it seems like hope is all I have.

Bidding farewell and good hunting the doctor left the room and presumably the hospital for the night. "Shika, don't worry about me, just...go find Ms. Senju, please, so we can get back to normal." He nodded, kissing me deeply on the lips, the feeling I was wishing for returning to me.

We broke the kiss with a gasp, smiling at each other. "I'll leave Sakura, Hinata, Ino and Asuka here with you." He saw the confused look on my face and laughed a bit. "Oh, yeah, Ino is a good person now, Asuka is her girlfriend, Hinata is Naruto's girlfriend and Sasuke and Sakura are going out." Wow, I really _did_ miss a lot.

Hopefully they can catch me up on what I missed out on, minus the baby stuff, me and Shikamaru can talk later.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 31st, 5:30 pm._ **  
**

Where does one go about finding the principal of a high school? Little is known about her personal life besides her love of Sake, hanging out with Shizune and her pet pig Ton-Ton, and the occasional gambling hall. But it's a Tuesday, in the beginning of the summer, so...

As it is we were all gathered in the parking lot at the hospital around Hinata's jeep, the only thing big enough to fit all of us comfortably, all of us being me, Sasuke and the man of the week Shikamaru. "I don't know where to look, the only person I can think to ask is the former third Hokage, Mr. Sarutobi." Okay, but...

"Where do we find him? The only place I know he hangs out is the archive library, and we don't have access to it." I said, countering Shikamaru's statement. The dark haired Uchiha looked over to us and just grunted, trying to think.

When he finally put his thoughts into words, it seemed like a good idea. "Why don't you ask your dad? Apparently Jiraiya of the Sannin was a teacher of his and Jiraiya and our target, Tsunade, go back thirty plus years." Yeah, that _is_ a pretty damn good plan. Use my dad to help us-

"Or you could just go to the Lucky Eight's bingo parlor at eight 'o clock." A voice sounded from behind us. I spun around to face a sunglass wearing Shino. "She's usually at that one around eight on Wednesdays, it's a double prize night." Huh...okay, kinda creepy but kinda helpful...thanks?

But how did he..."Ah, Shino, I didn't think you'd still be here, but thanks for the info." Shikamaru said, nodding to the monotone voiced man, who nodded back. "If I may ask, how did you know this?" Phew, thanks Shika, I was about to ask that question and so, _so_ many more about this man that I know little about.

He made a little groaning noise but buckled under our looks and answered. "Well, my parents used to go there on Wednesdays because Tsunade has some of the worst luck ever, meaning everyone else had good luck." Paid for those sunglasses? They aren't cheap I know that. "There's a lot of things no one knows about me, I'm just a fly on the wall, which allows me to soak in gossip and info." Okay...even more creepy.

At least that makes sense, though, and it's not just a bunch of muttered bullshit. "Er, thanks a lot though, Shino. It means a lot to us." I said, getting a courteous nod from the mysterious man as he turned on his heel and walk away and got into a...brand fucking new crossover SUV made by Jeep. Ain't that some shit.

"Huh, well I'll be damned. Maybe we _should_ get to know him better then." True that, Sasuke, true that. "But, let's hope we can catch her there." Yeah, I hope so...

Nevertheless we made our way over to the 'slums' of Konoha, which were nicer than the ghetto Los Kono. If I'm right they call this area Little Taki, mainly for it's hidden beauty and treasures. And by beauty I mean hookers. And by treasures I mean money. From gambling. What else?

It's not the place we really wanted to be, but we're here, and it's just past six. Two hours to kill, so what do we do? What else than sit around...and wait outside the bingo hall like a bunch of stalky rapist losers. Good idea guys.

These next two hours were filled with pointless games of I Spy, eating some junk food we got from a nearby corner store and pissing away time talking about the whole situation. Including his newborn baby girl. I do have to admit, Asa is a good name, and adding in the Nara surname it's just catchy. And it ends the Shi era.

"Look, there she is." Sasuke pointed out, spotting the busty blonde lady that we were targeting. I didn't even have to ask if he was sure if it was her or not, because her blonde, flowing hair and larger than normal chest stick out like sore thumbs. Oh and Shizune is there with her, Ton-Ton in tow as well. How they got a pet pig is unknown.

Without any more words we headed inside to the bingo hall and took a seat at one of the many tables, choosing a spot right behind the blonde principal. I don't see the point in just sitting behind her and not confronting her right away but oh well, imma just do what Shika says. He obviously has a good plan.

The man to my right lit up a cigarette, catching my glare at him and laughing. It was an elderly man, who gestured to the ashtray. "Son, it's not illegal to smoke in a bingo hall like this, if it offends you I can move if you'd like." That won't be necessary, actually.

I just smiled at him and pulled out my own pack and lit my own, tapping the ashes into the glass ashtray in front of me. "That's fine, I just didn't know it was legal." He smiled back to me. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Four hours had passed of me and the old man swapping stories and joking around, barely paying attention to the game except for the three times I got a bingo and the two times he did. Shikamaru just ignored me, continuing on with his plan, whatever that happened to be. "Ah, well this was fun but I must be leaving, I've had a good time Naruto." The elderly man said, standing and bidding farewell to me.

"Have a good night Mr. Sanku, I may take you up on the offer of coming back here on Saturday." So far so well, I wasn't expecting to come here and make a new friend in the form of the elderly man named Sanku. I turned to look at Shikamaru, who just glared at me.

He grumbled a bit and gestured to the now standing blonde teacher. "Now we move, we have to catch her before he leaves." Shika muttered, as we all swiftly stood up and pursued the buxom woman, who was heading for the door.

She almost escaped due to a poorly timed elderly lady stepping in front of us, taking her time to exit the door. But we escaped, catching Tsunade before she could get in her car to leave. "Oi, Ms. Tsunade, we need to talk to you!" The blonde lady turned to look at who yelled at her, locking eyes with me before snorting.

Turning to the dark haired apprentice of hers she tossed her the keys. "Shizune, start the car, I'll see what these punks want." The aforementioned Shizune caught the keys and got in, cranking the newer model crossover SUV's engine over. "To answer your questions, no I'm not telling you what size my tits are and no I-"

Shikamaru cut her off there, not letting her finish. "Those are all great questions, yes, but what we have is a bit more important." He set a serious tone with the way he spoke his words, tense and tight with a sense of importance. "My fiancée just gave birth and now she's suffering from amnesia. Shin-Ke said that-"

It was Tsunade's turn to cut him off, chuckling a little bit. "Oh man, that young coot, if he hadn't told you I'm retired, so whenever she gets the few memories she lost back she'll be ok." But it wasn't just a few memories.

And she had to know that. "Uh, it's not just a few memories, it's more like close to a year, dating from last July until now." Tsunade's chuckling was cut short when she heard that, getting a serious look on her face, pretty much questioning if this was real. "It's true, unfortunately. She can remember a few things, but its mostly blurry."

She coughed a bit and looked Shika dead in the eye. "Well then...I haven't seen a case like this since five years ago, when I was first started working at the Senju Memorial hospital. Where is your fiancée at, Mr. Nara?" She remembered his name, at least, so that's not such a bad thing.

"Senju Memorial, room one forty seven in the labor wing, fourth floor." He said, and we could see the hope rising in his face. Let's hope it doesn't get deflated.

With a sigh she collected her thoughts. "Well since it hasn't been that long hopefully I can rush there and reverse the effects of it. Although you must understand that if I can't or it's been too long there are other means of fixing this. But if it fails then there's a strong chance that, well..." Now isn't the best time to trail off into dramatic effect, cannon tits.

Shika just looked forward and sported an annoyed and angry face. "Well...well what?" Tsunade looked up and gave him a sad smile, accentuating that what was coming next wouldn't exactly be the best thing ever.

"Well...she could lose those memories... _forever_."

Oh boy. Why can't we just have normal teenager lives for once? Anyone, please?

* * *

 **A/N:** There's a BABY! And it's name is Asa, and I'm happy with the way this turned out. Some more drama, more action, and there's _tons_ more to come in these next four to five chapters! I don't really know what to say besides _please **favorite, follow**_ and **_review_** , it means the world to me.

Ja ne!


	23. Broken

**A/N** : To be honest, imma say the same thing I said in the last pre-chapter authors note: _boy_ things are about to get fun. I broke ten thousand views though so from the bottom of my heart, _**thank you**_ **.** This means more to me than a lot of you may think but it really does. From the beginning I never thought I would get this far, but six months later and here I am, still pumping out content for y'all!

Now, this chapter is where things get a little more mature and dark, not so much fun and games anymore. A lot of things have been going on in my life that have led to the resurgence of certain thoughts in certain parts of my mind, and they're gonna make their way into this story as a plotline for the next few chapters.

Doesn't mean that it's _all_ gonna be dark, but yeah the majority of it is gonna get pretty mature. I digress, it's time to get into the chapter now! Please, as always, _**read, review**_ and _**favorite/follow**_ **,** it brings me happiness. Allons-y, enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters besides...ugh, you know her already. Also I don't own the lyrics, they belong to Staind, Seether and Evanesence, respectively.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _May 31st, 6:00 pm._ **  
**

If there was ever a good example for an awkward silence then this room would be it. Being in a room with a woman who just gave birth and now can't remember anything since last July and three other women, two of who are known to said new mother as bad women. Having to explain this to her will be fun.

But she just hasn't said _anything_. I get that she doesn't know me...well she _does_ she just doesn't remember it right now, and she knows Sakura but she didn't know that her and Sasuke hooked up, and for the longest time Ino has been the slutty bad bitch, and since Asuka is affiliated with her romantically she gets the same tag.

As for me, I'm just an unknown, a dark haired drifter in this wasteland of shit. Poetic, yes, but I don't care right now. Sakura tried to make a little small talk, but that ended in a little fit of awkward chuckles as she attempted to make a light joke to lighten the situation.

That backfired, making it tenser than before and even more awkward, if that's even possible. Obviously it is, or else everything would be hunky dory right now, and that isn't the case, not even in the slightest. Now it's pretty much up to me to open a new conversation. It wouldn't work for Ino and Asuka and we all know that.

Now this is the shitty part, I don't know _how_ to. I'm not good at defusing situations unless I'm pissed off. I'm annoyed right now, yeah, but not pissed off at all. I wish this was easy but it isn't, and it especially isn't easy for me at all. Being introverted sucks major ball sack.

So I'm doing the only thing I know to do in a situation like this. "I'm going out for a smoke." Was all I said before evacuating the tense room, escaping the suffocating pressure that occupied the space where the normal, light and breathable air should be. Funny, I'm leaving a room to get fresh air while filling my body with not so fresh air. Lovely.

There's more than one reason I left the room, though, and the other is pretty simple. _"Hey Hinata-chan, what's going on?"_ I knew I could count on Naruto to answer the phone.

I sighed, forcing the smoke out of my lungs rapidly. "Well the situation is only getting tenser by the second, and they've tried all they could to lighten it, to no avail obviously, and now it's left to me to try and fix this, which you know I'm not good at, _at all_." He did know, and we've worked on it, but again it was to no avail.

My face turned to a frown when I heard all three of the boys chuckle at me. _"Calm down Hina, it won't be hard to fix this. Just do as I say and you should be pretty fine. Not quite one hundred percent but better than what you're at. Just go in there an lay down the law. I know you can, we all believe in you too. Let me know how it goes though."_ Will do, love, will do.

The call ended after we said our goodbyes, leaving me alone in my own thoughts. He's right though, how hard can it be? I guess I'll find out her in just a few minutes after I get done with my 'fresh air' break.

Finishing up I headed back inside, making my way up the elevator and to the room where I found the four girls sitting there and...laughing. Apparently someone had broken the silence and got them laughing around. But the question I have is _who_ managed to do this?

"Hinata, come in." Sakura laughed a little, waving me in. Tentatively I made my way into the room and took a seat in the chair I had occupied beforehand. "We were just talking about some of what has happened in the past nine months." The past nine months that were missing to the blonde lady in the hospital bed.

Temari nodded, taking a sip off of a cup of water she had on her little bedside table. "Yeah, especially the first party you went to with the boys and Sakura." Oh, of course, laugh at my expense, _great_. I get it, I was a fledgling, a tadpole of sorts, but was it really funny?

I guess so, as they continued recanting the night we had spent together, drinking and bonding. "Man, I wish I wasn't such a bitch back then, I missed out on one helluva _fun_ time." Okay, I'm drawing the line at winking at me. I'm barely managing looking back on those memories, let alone thinking about _that_ part of the night.

Honestly, I'm starting to think this whole opening up and getting out there thing was a mistake. I knew that this would only cause me pain and embarrassment in the end, I don't know how I could've thought otherwise.

All I know is I need to get out of this room before I suffocate to death from the pressure in my chest, which is building up with every little joke or remarking memory. It's not so much the memories, just the fact that they're choosing all of the embarrassing and _dirty_ ones.

Without a word I just stood up and fed them a bullshit excuse as to why I'm leaving for the moment, saying something about I need to go to the gift shop and get something, and if all goes well then I won't see them for a while.

Fuck. Naruto has my Jeep. Well I'm kinda screwed, unless I call my dad. No, I can't talk to him right now, I'll...figure something out.

Once I reached ground floor I left through the front door and just started walking. Where was I going? Shit, even _I_ didn't know, I was just getting the hell away from that place right now. I don't even know how they managed to stay around me for this long, it's been nine months since we all met and mingled. Sure there's a ton of good things that've happened, but I just want to go back to normal.

Nothing hurt me, no one hurt me, no one _could_ hurt me, because I never let anyone get close enough to cause me pain. Those were the days, alright. It was just me, myself and my bad habits. And my bad habits couldn't affect anyone else.

I've seen the look on Naruto's face when I relapse and it hurts him. Why would he continue to stay with someone who hurts him? Maybe he's really crazy or he's doing it just to get into my pants. Well that won't be happening anymore, I just texted him and told him 'we're done'.

Even through all of this realization it hurt me when he texted me back and said _"good, I figured it wouldn't take too long"_. Well it didn't, it only took close to nine _fucking_ months, dick wad. I knew he never really loved me.

So where am I? I've been walking for the past thirty minutes in random directions and now I found myself in the middle of the transfer from Konoha to Los Kono. Maybe I'll find a little something to numb the feelings I'm having.

"Hey little girl, you lost?" Ah, just what I was looking for, someone to help me. "Or are you just looking for a little somethin'-somethin'?" Depends on what you got, random man on the sidewalk adjacent to me. I just smiled and crossed the road, literally skipping over to him.

He smiled back at me, his five foot eight inch, one hundred and seventy-ish pound frame stood in front of me and my five foot three, one hundred and thirty-ish pound self. I have to say it's been awhile since I've weighed myself. "Well, it just depends on what you have." I said sultrily, trailing a single finger down his arm.

Motioning to me we moved into an alleyway, which wasn't too dark thankfully. There he sat his backpack onto an A/C unit and unzipped it. "Blow, smack and crystal is what I have right now. I can tell you're distressed so I'd recommend crystal." Never done it before, but there's a first time for everything.

"Ne, I've never done it before but I'll try it. I've done the other two before, mainly smack." With a nod he grabbed a small baggy of the crushed up crystal drug and handed it to me. Next he grabbed a pipe, crystal clear with a round bubble on the end, only sporting a small opening where you put the drugs in, I'm assuming.

I watched as he dumped a tiny bit into the pipe and hold a lighter under it, not touching the glass pipe but just close enough to melt it down. "Now, when this turns to smoke just inhale as much smoke as you can, hold it in for three to four seconds _max_ , and then exhale it." I nodded. A second later he handed the pipe and lighter to me, and I took in the smoke, a good hit, probably longer than ten seconds.

A few seconds before I got done hitting he could tell I was finishing my hit and took the lighter away. Finishing the hit I held it in, exhaling it slowly and feeling the rush hit me all at once, and lemme tell you, it felt _good_.

So this is crystal meth, huh? Can't say I'm complaining. I barely heard the guy ask me if I was good. "Yeah, I'm good man, it just hit me all at once." I said, turning to him and giving him a reassuring smile. I felt much like I was on heroin, but more _energetic_. Like I was bulletproof.

And then I turned and threw up on the ground next to him. "Heh, it's ok, it happens to almost everyone on their first hit." Well that makes me feel better.

When I finished emptying what little contents I had in my stomach I straightened up and took a few steps back, hitting the wall and leaning against it. "So, like, that's all you have to do is hit it once and you're, like, good for a while?" I asked, feeling the effects of the drug fully now.

The newfound friend I just made was taking a hit off the pipe when I questioned him. He exhaled the white smoke and coughed a little before stowing it away into his back pack again. "Yeah man, it-it lasts for a couple of hours, I wouldn't do anymore tonight though, its easy to OD on this stuff." I think I'm good for the night anyhow.

Man, if only my dad could see me now, or my mom...is this what they want to see? Their daughter tweaked out on meth in an alleyway with some random dude she just met, floating in a sea of bright and vibrant white? For once I didn't have to bite back emotions, it's like I'm numb to feeling anything.

Hurt, sadness, disappointment, embarrassment, anger, it's all just nothing now. Nothing but a euphoric high that's coursing through my body. "Is there any reason you chose to do this? I can tell you're hurting right now, so don't lie to me Ms..." He trailed off questioningly, indirectly asking for my name.

I giggled just a little, running a hand over my body. "Hinata, that's all imma say. And you could say I've been hurting since my mothers passing when I was five, but it's been worse recently." I began to explain to him what's all happened in the past eight-ish months, with Naruto, Shika, Sasuke, Sakura, Temari, Ino and Asuka, briefly mentioning the thing with Choji and Kiba.

"Ugh, I can't _stand_ that gang, the Eighteen Sixties, I'm glad the K5K got them shut down. I never affiliated with any gang or anything of the sort, I just buy and sell." He said while lighting up a cigarette and offering me one, which I happily took and lit, taking a long and needed drag off of it.

Watching the smoke dance in the air while leaving my lungs my thoughts intruded my head again, and I couldn't beat them down this time. "I...I just don't want to hurt any one around me, and it seems that all I _am_ doing is giving them a cheap laugh but also dragging them down with my shyness and negativity." At least it seemed like that.

He turned and looked at me, blowing the smoke in his lungs to the left of him. "Well maybe you're not, and maybe you're just overthinking things. I know it's hard being a eighteen year old highschooler, but you just gotta keep your faith in everyone, okay? Or else you end up like me, twenty three and selling drugs on the street."

Something dawned on me then and there, hitting me in the chest like a ton of bricks. "I-I know, b-but it's just hard sometimes, I was raised being reclusive and shy, not wiling to get out and do things with people, let alone do _those_ kind of things with people. Maybe I am just overreacting..." I trailed off, wiping a tear from my eye.

The man, whose name I never caught, just patted me on the shoulder lightly. "Yeah, it's a normal thing for someone your age homie. Normally I would've tried to sleep with you and everything, cuz I'm a bad person, but once I realized you're just hurting, like me, I knew I needed to help you, it's the least I can do." Not like I would've said yes.

At least, I don't think I would've. "Thanks, maybe we can have more time to chat again sometime, just take my phone number and text me sometime." Writing the digits down I handed them off to him, and hugged him, preparing to leave before I stopped, looking over my shoulder. "Hey, what's your name anyways?"

I heard him chuckle a little bit before answering me. "Sho, but everyone calls me Bone Head." Bone head, huh?

Sounds like the typical thug-ish drug dealer nick name. At least he gave me some more and a pipe, for free. Who woulda thunk it?

* * *

 _8:30 pm._

It was eight thirty by the time I got to the hospital again, formulating an excuse for my long, two hour absence. Four women in the room and all four of them are experts in sniffing out and detecting bullshit, something I need to get better at. Not that Naruto would cheat on me anyways, I trust him with all my heart.

Now I feel like a piece of shit for trying to end things with him. What will he say whenever he realizes what I really tried to do? I doubt he'll stay with me, but only time will tell. But he'll do his usual thing, hug me, kiss me and fix me. Can't argue with that.

Okay, back to the time and date right now. Can't exactly say 'oh yeah I was being a bit delusional, decided to walk away, try to break up with Naruto and smoked crystal meth with a strange dealer in an alleyway'. Yeah, not exactly the best story. Sad part is they'd believe it wholeheartedly and not question it at all.

I'm starting to think I should do this stuff more often though. I'm feeling confident and indestructible. So fuck it, let's go handle this shit, right? No fears.

Swinging the door open I walked into the room and set down the candy I got from the gift shop, trying to glance off the stares I was getting. "Hinata, what took so long?" I looked at the questioner, Sakura, and put on the best fake smile I could.

"Oh I got some coffee, sat down there and drank it and talked to my dad, you know how he can get all 'one million questions' when I'm out late and not texting him on the constant." There was some truth in them there lies, but they were still some bold faced lies. Thankfully they seemed to believe it, so I was in the clear for now.

And by 'for now' I mean until the two former druggies in the room, Ino and Asuka, realize that I'm on something. They're pros at it, so all I can do is hope that they don't call me out on it in front of Temari and Sakura. Visitation ended at ten, so there's only an hour and a half to go until I can leave. But my dumbass just realized I'm riding home with Ino and Asuka, who're dropping me off.

I just sipped my drink timidly while making the smallest of talks with the girls, but things heated up ten minutes before we left, naturally, with Temari's question. "Hinata, are you feeling alright? I know my memory is shot right now but even I know when someone is acting odd." Well, here we go.

My body tightened up as I tried to form rational thoughts, the effects of the drug started to wear off, leaving me in a sleepy, irritable and shitty mood. "I'm fine, Temari, just tired and ready to go home." I looked to Ino and Asuka, my eyes begging for them to drag me away. I knew they knew, so maybe they'll help me out.

Which they did, standing and uttering out some hasty excuses how they're tired and need to leave, ready to sleep the night away. So was I. But I knew the peace was just a temporary thing, lasting until we got in the car.

Asuka turned around in her seat, the passengers seat, and looked me dead in the eye, and I didn't dare to look away. "Hinata, what did you do tonight?" It was blunt and to the point, something that I've grown to appreciate over the little time I've spent socializing with others.

No point in lying, I might as well just spill my guts to them. They both listened as Ino drove us to their hotel room, swinging into a parking spot and parking it.

The blonde haired girl looked at me, examining my eyes and chuckled a tiny bit. "Well, there's no way you're going home tonight, your dad isn't _that_ stupid, I guarantee you that." Not like I wanted to anyways. He'll call me his little girl, and I'll feel like an even bigger piece of sorry ass shit.

It was Asuka's turn to speak in her smooth but authoritative voice. "Yeah no, you're gonna stay with us. We'll help you come down off that stuff and get through it. Do you have anymore of it on you?" I sheepishly laughed and rubbed the back of my neck, nodding and pointing to my bag.

I saw the two girls frown a little, but then just sigh and smile sadly. "Well, you might as well finish it tonight. Between the three of us we'll finish the little bit you have and get through this as a team." Should I tell them that besides the little baggie I had an eighth in there too?

Nah, some things are better left unsaid. This'll be my little secret.

* * *

 _4:30 am._

I can't sleep. Is this a part of being a tweaker? I think I'm gonna stick to pot, at least it _helps_ me sleep instead of keeping me up. Even though I could barely keep my eyes open I stayed awake, my body torn between fighting sleep and fighting staying awake.

Asuka and Ino went to bed thirty minutes ago, but I was just here, thinking. I needed Naruto, and I realize that now more than ever. He deserves the truth and no more lies from me. Maybe he'll come pick me up from this stupid hotel room. I like Ino and Asuka but I need to be with the man I love.

He said he'll be here in a few minutes since it's about five minutes down the road so I sneakily packed my backpack fully up and snuck out the door, thanking the heavens it's four thirty in the morning so no sun can fight it's way into the room, waking the two lesbian lovers in bed.

Smiling at them I shut the door and lit up a cigarette, killing time as I waited for Naruto to get here. And sure enough, just past five minutes had passed before he pulled into the parking lot, his smile felt like it was stabbing me in the heart repeatedly. I had never felt so much hurt before, the worst part being I brought this in on myself.

I tried my hardest to stay as strong as I could, barely making it out of the parking lot in the passenger seat of his old truck before I broke down after he kissed me. I spilled my guts to him, and he just sat there and took it.

No anger, sadness or disappointment. No jokes or poking fun at me, nothing like that.

Why would I even think about leaving him?

I need help.

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 1st, 5:40 am._

I sat outside of the room as Tsunade did her best to try and counteract the amnesia, doing what only she can do with the help of Dr. Shin-Ke and an unnamed nurse. I'm sure she doesn't want the secret to this escaping, it's gotta be some intricate and intense procedure if I had to leave the room.

Contemplating going to see Asa in the NICU I decided against it, letting the little baby sleep. She'd be up in the next few hours and I'll go be with her until Temari wakes up from the anesthesia they have her under. It's apparently a non invasive procedure, but she seemed to be lacking pretty much any equipment, save for a the normal monitors and a cart with, surprise, unnamed things in it.

So here I sat, Sasuke went home to Sakura, Ino and Asuka took Hinata to their hotel room to hang out for a little while and Naruto went home. And me, well, I'm just sitting here being a jumbled up mess of emotions and nerves, wondering if my soon to be wife will regain her memories.

What else was I supposed to do? I'm not leaving this hospital until I get some answers from the elderly principal of my high school.

Basically I can only guess what's she's doing, and I settled on some black magic voodoo witchcraft, because I have no conceivable idea of what she can do with what she has, which again is piss all. This theorem is supported by the same doctor being in the room as last time and an unnamed nurse, and they plan on keeping it that way.

It's been four and a half hours since we got here and she started working, meaning she only had a little bit to go, based on her five to six hour guesstimation on how long something like this might possibly take.

Still, my heart feels heavy for both her and my newborn daughter. I know it's not even a year missing but that year was important, fitting in a lot of things including her pregnancy with Asa and the proposal I gave her.

A lot of hurt, yes, including Sakura's accident, Choji's suicide and me going to jail, but these are things that made this moment even sweeter. And then to have it robbed away for an unknown reason? Yeah, that fucking sucks, worse than anything Anko or Ibiki could ever do to me.

Thoughts swam through my head until the clock hit ten past seven, and Tsunade's form broke through the door and walked over to me, taking a seat next to me. I looked at her, my eyes asking the questions I didn't want to speak. "Shikamaru, I did what I could for now, now all we can do is wait for her to wake up. If it worked, she should have the memories back within a few hours." And if not? "And if not, then I'm afraid that she won't be getting them back." Figures.

I coughed a little bit and rubbed my eyes, yawning and stretching my arms out. "So basically she has a few hours to remember and if not, she'll never remember?" The busty blonde lady next to me nodded her head sadly. "Well, ain't life about a bitch, right?" I laughed out the question, ignoring the glare from the teacher.

She wanted to scold me, but ignored it, choosing to give me at least this much freedom in this situation. "Yeah, I'm fifty five and I've learned real quick. My lover died when I was just twenty seven, almost thirty years ago, in a bad car wreck caused by a drunk driver. So yeah, life is a bitch, you just gotta take it in stride." True enough.

Maybe, just maybe, I _might_ start paying attention in her classes. But that's a strong maybe, _very_ strong maybe. "This last year has been hell, but I can't say I'd rather spend it any other way and with any other people besides my fiancée and my friends." I said, gazing over to the room that held the aforementioned fiancée of mine.

"Well, I am going to go rest in an on-call room, the doctor will page me whenever she wakes up. Are you gonna go visit your newborn?" She asked, looking at me intently.

Looking over at her I nodded, smiling softly. "Yeah, she should be up by now." I think, at least. But I caught the look Tsunade gave me, and quickly understood it. "Uh, do you want to come with me? I'm sure she'd love the visitors right now." Did I get that right?

Tsunade smiled, putting a hand on my shoulder gently, lighter than a feather. "I'd love to. You might be surprised to hear that I actually like children." Am I? I had to think about that one for just a second to find the answer I was looking for.

It took me a second but I found it, chuckling softly. "Honestly, Ms. Tsunade, _nothing_ surprises me nowadays." She nodded in agreement, understanding what we've been through in the past eight or so months.

We made small talk on the way to the NICU, finding out way to the third floor, walking past delivery rooms and through some double doors and finding ourselves in the NICU receiving area, checking our names into the logbook and getting the required clearance.

Rows of incubators and secured, sterile beds lined the walls and middle area of the room, with a small office area in the center where nurses stood and sat, clicking away on the computers that populated the desks they sat at.

Just a little bit down was the one holding Asa, all cleaned up and monitored closely. "Hey there, little one, daddy's sorry he hasn't come to see you here yet, but he had to find the nice lady to fix mommy." I don't know where my 'dad voice' came from, I think it's something that just comes naturally, like when a character levels up.

With a smile Tsunade overlooked as I reached in the holes where arms are meant to go in and stroked the babies arm. Seven pounds, ten ounces and nineteen inches long.

She isn't sick or in danger by any means, but she was born prematurely by almost a month, so this is just a precautionary measure. I'm not complaining, if it means she gets to come home healthy then I'm not gonna argue and say no. "She's healthy, I'll give 'er that. I have no doubt she'll be just fine." Tsunade said, comforting me.

I just sighed happily, fighting back the few tears that filled the brim of my eyelids. "Yeah, if she's anything like me and Temari she's tougher than a two dollar steak. We have everything ready at my place and Temari's place for her to come home, and we'll be getting our own place here in the beginning of the school year. Please go easy on me as I get used to this though." I laughed a little, quietly but still audible.

Laughter rang back at me from Tsunade, who just kept looking on. "Yeah, yeah, I _guess_ I can understand if you're not one hundred percent. How're you gonna afford your own place so soon though?" Contemplating telling her I decided to, she helped me so I can at least tell her what's up.

As much as I hated retelling stories I went ahead and did it anyways, recanting tale after tale of the past year. The parties, all the drinking and pot smoking, but the most important things being the times we spent together as friends, and the times me and Temari spent together as a couple.

Somehow I got some laughs from the lady, but no complaints. Is hell freezing over? "But yeah, after Choji passed things slowed down until recently. Minato and Kushina got hitched finally, which was a relief, and then this happened." I said, smiling as I relieved the memories in my head. This is what I want Temari to feel.

"I can't say I agree with the breaking of laws, but I see a lot of my younger self in all of you. When I was growing up it was constantly threats of war and a few skirmishes that had us convinced we were about to go to war. The loyalty you guys hold for each other is unreal, though..." She trailed off, losing herself in her own thoughts and memories.

Two hours went by, filled with talking about life and the way it works. I got to feed Asa for the first time and help change her, which almost broke me but I stayed strong.

For her, for Temari and for myself. Isn't that what the man is supposed to do? Stay strong for his family and be the rock they lean on when things get windy and stormy, not faltering and sheltering his wife and kids from the debris, no matter how many times he got hit.

But hearing the doctor come in and tell Tsunade and me that my fiancée had woke up sent me into a spiral. I didn't want to leave Asa, but Temari needed me there more now than ever. With a hardened heart I left, following the blonde woman and the young doctor to the room.

When we got there Temari just laid there, a dead look in her eyes. I smiled and sat next to her, kissing the back of her hand. "Hey love, are you feeling better?" Was it gonna be an immediate effect? I doubted it, but that would rock.

She just shook her head, and the hours passed, one minute turning into three hours, and nothing changed, not a _damn_ thing.

If I was ever close to breaking, this would be it. Four hours and nothing changed. Tsunade apologized constantly, cursing herself for not coming through for me. We took it, but told her it's not her fault, and it isn't her fault at all. Medical stuff is a hit and miss, especially rare diseases.

They took Asa in here to visit her, and the second Temari saw her, it hit her. Everything came rushing back in all at once. Why hadn't I thought this could possibly kick start her healing and her memories? Even Tsunade was baffled and cursing herself for not thinking of it.

And at two pm in the afternoon, on the first day of June, everything went back to normal, her memories returning fully.

Why? No one knows why Asa did it, but it did, and I'm not gonna sit here and question it. I'm just happy to have my wife back.

Hopefully things are all well on everyone else's end.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 1st, 5:45 am._

So lemme get this straight for just one second. My girlfriend of close to eight months, well it's basically eight months, almost broke up with me because she thinks I and we just keep her around for the shits and giggles? And that's she just a burden on us with her negative mood? And that I was just trying to get in her pants?

Heh, my luck, right? Let's not even mention the part where she walked away from the hospital and into the doorstep of the worst part of town, alone, at seven in the evening, just to get away from the memories that the group of girls she was with was reliving.

And finally, she found a random dude, smoked crystal _fucking_ meth with him, only to realize that what she's doing is just being delusional and she needs help. Well slap my ass and call me grandma, this is probably the most annoying, angering, saddest and funniest story I've heard in a long time.

What am I supposed to do in a situation like this? Just be like 'oh ok, well you're fine so yeah let's just move on'? I could, and I've been supportive, but this is probably the most stupid and asinine thing I've heard her doing. It's hard for me to just hug her, let her cry and tell her it's okay because it's _not_ okay. Not even _close_ to being okay.

Now she's just staring at me with those sad, tear filled eyes. Ones that would've normally melted me, but the conflicting emotions I'm feeling right now have hardened my heart and my mind, leaving me in this impasse state. "Hinata, I don't know what to say right now, you've hurt me again and this time it's not like the others." Which is true, this is unlike any of the other times.

Constantly relapsing, being self conscious and never really reacting well to any of my compliments except for when it's something major. How can you convince someone that they're not all these bad things they think they are when they believe it wholeheartedly. "I know...I'm so sorry, Naru...kun..." She trailed off, looking at the floor in my room.

I sighed deeply and just punched my leg, trying to tread carefully here. "I want to say it's okay, but I...I just can't this time, because it's not." It really isn't, and she seems to understand this. I hope she does, it's one of the only ways to move on.

She was reduced from crying to just a few rare sniffles, staring down sadly and trying not to lose control again. "I know, it isn't okay at all." I heard her mutter out, forming her next sentence. "And...I-I understand if you want to lea-" Okay, this is one of the most annoying things she does.

Cutting her off I was starting to get annoyed now, trying my hardest to reign in my emotions. "Enough! I'm tired of you thinking that I'm gonna leave you at every dead end or wrong turn! What would you do if I _actually_ did what you were thinking and left, Hinata?" I tried not to yell too loudly, but I still needed to get the point across.

Her head snapped up and looked at me, her eyes housing a fire I had seldom seen in her before, save for a few times. "What would I do?" She asked, laughing a little bit.

"What's so funny, Hinata? I find it funny that you're finding a situation like this humorous." I said, laughing a little bit myself. Maybe she's finally cracked..."So please, indulge in me what parts of this are funny, c'mon, I'm beg-" Wow, didn't think she had the guts to cut _me_ off.

It was her turn to turn on me and lay it down. "I find it _fucking_ funny that you expected something different from me, _love_." Okay, calm the acid in those words please. "I'm a eighteen year old girl who, for the longest time, only knew loneliness and drugs, and you drug me out of my little bubble, for what!? Because you thought you could _fix_ me? I have to say it's a noble attempt, but are you surprised that I am _fucked_ in the head?" Now she was yelling at me, standing on her feet and pacing.

Having just about enough of it I grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her to face me. "You think you're the only one? No, I saw love in you, Hinata, and you have shown me that and the some. I love you, more than you can imagine, I just...I just want to see you do good." I wish she would, man...

Things calmed down for a minute, the room going quiet and stale, until one of us spoke again. "I'm not gonna be able to, Naruto, this is who I am, and I'll always be this way until the day I die. And from the way things are looking that'll be pretty soon." Hinata spoke first, breaking the silence.

I've already lost one friend in Choji, and I will _not_ stand by and watch another friend, someone I love, die. "No, you're not dying anytime soon Hinata, I won't let it hap-"

"You don't control me, I control my own actions, and if they're obviously causing you this much pain, you don't have to leave me...because I'll just leave." In the blink of an eye she was up and out the door, backpack slung over her shoulder.

I chased after her, but I couldn't stop her from getting in her Jeep and leaving, spinning her tires on the road rapidly and speeding off. "Fuck!" I yelled, grabbing my hair and pulling on it a little. I didn't see my parents standing at the front door, so when I turned to see them watching along, I knew I was screwed.

Not like I have a choice, it's time to come clean with them. No more lies.

* * *

 **KUSHINA-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 1st, 6:50 am._ **  
**

"Son...you're a fucking idiot."

For once I agree with you Minato...cherish it, hold it in your memories and never, _never_ let it go. Back to the agreement part, yeah he's a fucking idiot. Drugs, Naruto, really, you couldn't think of something else, like habitual masturbation? Damn.

I let the two men in my life have their moment of glaring at each other before one of them cracked, the one being Naruto who just smiled, making Minato laugh a little. I guess he realized his little statement there was stupid in and of itself. Even if he's a straight up idiot for doing this.

Coughing a little bit I turned the attention back to me and the original point of conversation. "So, let's forget the fact that you were an _idiot_ and did hard drugs for a moment and turn the attention to the woman who just stormed out of here and burned off." Hey, even I have my moments where I can call him an idiot.

After all, _I'm_ the one who pushed him out of my vagina. Checkmate. "Yeah, I don't know how to fix this. I'm more worried that she's gonna mess up and OD or something, an that isn't a good thing _at all_." My blonde haired and equally as idiotic son said, stressing the fact that she's a loose cannon right now.

Minato nodded, trying to use all the wisdom in his head to pull out an answer. But being the Hokage doesn't prepare you for _this_. "Well, we could always just call up Hiashi and tell him to keep an eye on her." Um, yeah no that's not a good idea at all.

Shaking my head the two guys looked at me, my newlywed husband giving me a weird look. "No, that won't go well at all, honey." He didn't even have to voice his question cuz I knew what it was. "Why? Because, that's only gonna add more stress in her life. She'll feel like she let her dad down, and that just makes people sadder, and she'll try to remedy that with more drugs and then boom, she OD's." I emphasized the 'boom' by slamming my hand on the table we were sitting at.

A look of realization came over his face as he laughed awkwardly, feeling a bit ashamed of himself. "I'd rather not let it get to that point, though. I can _try_ to call her or text her, but I'm sure she'll just ignore me." Probably so, son, this isn't the best of times for her right now, maybe she just needs some alone time.

"Right now isn't the easiest time in her life. Things are changing, emotions growing and soon you guys will be graduating and moving on. She needs all the motional support she can get at the moment, but _don't_ coddle her, it'll scare her away son. Sometimes all a relationship needs is a little _fire_ to kick start it again." Well said, Mina-kun.

I wasn't quite expecting that from him, but I nodded in agreement. "To reinforce what he said just take it slowly. You're gonna have to go visit her eventually, but just give her a few days. Text her a couple times a day, and if she doesn't answer by then, well, go to her and make her talk to you." Otherwise she'll give you the silent treatment.

Naruto smiled a bit and then yawned, the wave of exhaustion hitting him. He's been up for a while so we dismissed him to bed, choosing to talk later on today.

Sighing deeply I rubbed my eyes, eyeing the time which was seven fifteen. I had to be at work by eight thirty, leaving me an hour until I had to leave. Thankfully I took my morning shower right when their arguing began, so I didn't need to do that.

Looking at Minato he gave me his trademarked smile, the one that I've grown to love. "I don't know what to do right now, Mina-kun, he's going through a lot too, and it's not gonna get any better come school time." I said as he made his way over to me, putting his hands on either shoulder and rubbing.

He heard me purr in pleasure and laughed a bit, going deeper and relieving the pressure and tension in them. "Calm down kitty." The blonde man chuckled out softly. "And I know what you mean. At least we have our ways of relieving stress." Yeah, and if you keep this up we may just end up doing it.

Admittedly I already felt the heat growing in between my legs, and even the moistness. I haven't dressed for the day yet, so maybe..."Minato, if you keep doing this then I might just drag you off to the bedroom real quick." I moaned out, letting my head sink down and rest on the table.

Of course he didn't stop, only moving deeper and deeper, working on my neck right now, which was one of my weak spots. "Hmm, maybe that isn't such a bad idea right about now, love." He growled into my ear with his husky, baritone voice. "What do you say? We have thirty minutes, and that's all I need with you baby." Fuck this shit, let's go then, Mina.

Standing up from my chair he scooped me up into his arms and carried me into the room, dropping kisses on my face and neck on the way. By the time we got to the room I was already like a leaking faucet down there, which was only made worse when he threw me on the bed and practically tore my sleepshirt off of me, exposing my breasts.

Due to the little bit of workout I do, albeit minor, I managed to keep a sturdy form of perky D sized breasts and a well toned and shaped ass, which was uncovered next when my lover pulled my sweatpants off, revealing everything he wanted to see. I don't wear underwear under my sleep clothes, who cares?

Obviously not Minato, as he quickly dropped his sleep pants and boxers, letting his still sturdy and working seven and a half inch cock loose. Right now isn't the time for any foreplay, though, so he cut right to the chase, plunging his length into me all the way, wasting no time in working it in and out at a fast paced rhythm.

I choked back some loud moans, reminding myself of my soon to be sleeping son upstairs from us. They call it a quickie for a reason, meaning within ten minutes of Minato thrusting his member in and out of me we were both hitting our limits, climaxing together. I moaned a little bit when the orgasm hit me, shooting through me in waves.

When we were done, he helped me stand and walked with me to the restroom, where we cleaned ourselves up and got dressed for the day, me in my black slack, black flat dress shoes and a dark blue button-up that didn't do much to contain my breasts.

He got dressed into his 'business casual' attire, which was a pair of black slacks, a white button-up shirt, a dark blue tie and a black light business jacket over the shirt and tie. It was a cookie cutter day for us, honestly, quickies have become a thing. We're getting old, guys, might as well fuck like rabbits until we lose the ability to.

Not like I'm getting pregnant anytime soon, either, menopause came and left a couple of years ago so my womb had to hang up it's hat and close shop for the rest of my life, or so I hope. Weird analogy? Maybe. But I don't care.

We both got what we wanted, and that's what matters right now. All is fair in love and war...and sex.

I guess.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 1st, 11:00 pm._

News of Temari's recovery spread fast, but no one asked about me and Naruto. I'm surprised he didn't go blabbing to Sasuke and Shikamaru, and in turn they blab to Sakura and Temari, who in turn blab to Ino and Asuka, who, in turn, text me and bitch me out.

They'll all blame it on the drugs, I know that for a fact, and refuse to see the underlying issues that are me being a terrible fucking person who makes choices that are as equally terrible. Am I surprised that it ended this way? Not really, it only took me eight months to fuck things up for the hundredth time, leaving me alone... _again_.

I like being alone sometimes, though, where the only person I can hurt is myself, and no one else. No Naruto, Sasuke, nobody to hurt. But what about my dad? Well, I'm sorry dad, I didn't mean to be such a fuck up. When I die they'll all come to my funeral, say nice things about me and then lament that they wish they would've helped me get clean from this.

Those two words crack me up. Get _clean_? Ha, as if. Some things aren't meant to change, and me being like this is no exception to that little rule of life. Rapists gonna rape, murderers gonna murder, cheaters gonna cheat and druggies gonna always be druggies. Get clean? Shit, even when we get clean its never the same.

Shadows of the past still haunt you, breathing down your neck like a stalker, screaming at you to go ahead and fuck up again so it can grab you by the wrist and drag you back down into the depths of addiction, where you're powerless to whatever substance you crown as your new king, the one to rule your body and every action you make.

It was fun making up an excuse to my dad about why I was home at that time in the morning and even more fun was explaining to him why I slept until four in the afternoon and why me and Naruto weren't hanging out or why I wasn't at the hospital right now with my 'friends'.

Claiming I wasn't feeling good and really needed rest he saw the fever I had from the minor withdrawals I was going through and bought it, leaving me alone after dinner.

So after he went to bed at nine that left me here to just get spun, blow clouds and tweak out. It's not my favorite, I prefer nodding out to some heroin, but this'll have to do until I finish this bag and hit up Bone Head for some more. Maybe I'll get both, it couldn't hurt much more mixing the two, right?

Word on the street is speedballs are the 'in' thing now, so I may just try that. I've only done two and they both were with cocaine and not the crystal drug I'm currently hitting. So far it's done it's job, numbing me to the point to where I _almost_ believe I'm okay and not fucked in the head. I don't know why, but I like rock music when I'm on this drug, it's just one of those things.

 _To my mother, to my father, it's your son or it's your daughter. Are my screams loud enough for you to hear me? Should I turn this up for you?_

Perfect, just the song I need right now, something about a kid fucking up and begging for attention. Skip!

 _I wanted you to know, that I love the way you laugh. I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away. I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well._

Better, but not the best. Ah fuck it, I'll leave it, it's a good song to be honest. I leaned back against the headboard of my bed, resting my back and head on it and letting the floating, euphoric high sweep through my body. Naruto tried to text me earlier, but I just ignored him.

When will he realize that this just isn't right? He's just gonna end up hurting himself more than I am right now, quite literally. I drug the razor blade I used to chop up the crystals across the top of my thigh, drawing a slight amount of blood. It's only right that I hurt on the inside and the outside. Watching the blood flow was therapeutic to me.

It started slowly before it pooled up and dribbled down the side of my thigh. I quickly grabbed the red rag I had handy and stemmed the flow, wiping the cut clean and just marveling at the thin red line that marked my thigh now.

Amazing, isn't it, how something so simple can ease so much pain. I've been hurting for years now, and I just found the answer to coping with the pain on the inside; let it escape from inside of me to the outside of me. I wasn't done here, though, because I have hours of floating left to go.

I continued to run the blade across the top of my right thigh, making four more sizeable gashes on my leg, the red substance of life leaking out and pooling up onto the tops of my thighs before slowly running down the edges of my thighs. I sighed, wiping the blood up and compressing the wounds, stopping the flowing blood. And then the next song on my playlist played.

 _How can you see into my eyes like open doors? Leading you down into my core, where I've become so numb._

Why? Why is it that I try so hard to numb myself from this, but I fail so miserably. Even the drug I'm on right now is doing little to stop tears from leaking down my eyes and dropping onto my chest and legs, wetting my shirt.

Sliding my shirt off and wiping my eyes with it I loaded up another hit, letting the smoke in the stem gather up before inhaling it, getting a good hit, close to twenty seconds off of it. It hit me like a ton of bricks, slamming into me and almost flooring me with the feeling.

 _Without a soul, my spirits sleeping somewhere cold, until you finally bury me in that...home._

Managing to hold back the urge to hurl I got out of bed and stumbled over to my door, stuffing a towel under the crack of it and sliding open my window halfway. I turned my ceiling fan on medium and let some air ventilate this room, mainly because I need a cigarette, and I'll be damned if I don't get one.

Inhaling the nicotine filled smoke into my lungs I felt the calming effects of it soothe me as I bandaged the self inflicted wounds I caused on myself. But I was happy.

Something I don't feel very often, a feeling of happiness and euphoria allowing me to swim in the vibrant sea of white I was in, even if I had dreaded thoughts of the morning when the blue comes and slaps me in the face telling me to wake up and do shit.

It's a hard knock life being Hinata Hyuuga, nineteen years old and smoking meth, shooting heroin, smoking marijuana, all the while cutting yourself to numb the pain you're feeling on the inside, the pain of being a disgrace and a disappointment to everyone around you.

Six am came quickly, allowing me to drift off into a not so peaceful sleep, thoughts of the man I left behind assaulting me, taunting me.

One more cut wouldn't hurt...right?

* * *

 **A/N:** I know, writing about hard drugs and self harm sucks, but it's something that played a pivotal role in my life that needs to be addressed here. As much as this story is for you guys, it's really me sharing my life in the form of this story, so it means a lot to me to get it done and see people enjoying it as well. Writing has been a hobby of mine since day one, so I'll be here anyways. One more time, _please **review, favorite**_ and _**follow**_. Ja ne!


	24. Far From My Immortal Bleeding

**A/N:** What can I say about this chapter? It's chock full of vitamins and nutrients? I'm at a loss at what to say in these notes other than a solid thanks to everyone for sticking around chapter after to read this. We'll continue the NaruHina breakup arc, and hopefully all is well. As always, _**review/favorite/follow**_ , and enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any characters besides Asuka! Nor do I own any of the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to Christina Perri, Evanescence and Five Finger Death punch, respectively.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 5th, 1:00 pm._ **  
**

It's been just over four days since Hinata left my house and sped off, leaving me in the dark ever since then. I told Sasuke about it, making him promise to keep his mouth shut until I'm ready to tell everyone, because this is a delicate situation.

Any wrong move and this could end up being disastrous for me and her, and also her family. I want to believe that she'll come running back to me so bad, but I've never seen her like this before, leaving the entire situation to the unknown. And that's the part that has me worried majorly.

Like every other situation like this Hinata is very prone to impulsive actions, like doing too much drugs or harming herself physically and mentally, effectively digging herself into an even deeper hole than she was in before. How is she gonna get out of this by herself?

She really is being delusional right now, I swear. It's only been a few days and I already miss seeing her, I miss her smile and her lips, and there's nothing I can do about it now besides go to her house, which is where I'm at now, and talk to her. Hopefully Hiashi lets me in, I don't know what kind of lies Hinata would twist and form to get him to be on her side rather than mine.

I knocked on the door, which was answered not by Hiashi, but Hanabi, who was lounging around doing what fourteen year old kids do, which is...I don't know anymore, to be honest. "Oh, hey Naruto, here to see Hinata?" I nodded, smiling at the young girl. "Well she hasn't been feeling good, so-" She was cut off by Hinata trudging down the stairs.

Props to Hinata, she really can play the sick card very well. "N-Naruto, I t-t-told you not to c-come here, I'm n-not feeling very w-well." And there's the stutter she's good at.

But she knows I'm not buying that bullshit, evident by the sly smile she gave me when Hanabi turned her back to her. This little...ugh! I swear man..."Hey sis, glad to see you up and about." Hanabi said, giving her sister a smile and receiving a small one from Hinata back. "I'll, uh, give you two some alone time." Smart girl.

Once Hanabi made her way upstairs I looked at Hinata and frowned, trying to figure out what to say. "Hina, uh, how're you doing?" I asked, trying not to trip over my words and fuck this up. I have basically one chance to fix this right here before I'm fucked.

Hinata gave me a smirk back, stepping closer to me and standing in the doorway. "Oh, you know, _sick_." She said with a hint of venom on her voice. And this isn't the playful venom either, no, this is 'melt your skin' venom. "I thought I told you that we're done, Naruto. I made the decision to and you can't even respect that. Tsk, what a _shame_."

My hands gripped into fists, shaking off the anger that I was feeling. "I don't know who you are, but I _am_ gonna get the old you back, you hear?" I said, white knuckled now when she just laughed in my face, shaking her head. "Oh, so this is still funny to you? You scare me half to death because I thought you were gonna smoke yourself to death, and for _what_?" It's so hard not to yell right now...

Her laughter filled my ears again, buzzing around in my head. "Oh Naruto-kun, this _is_ the old me!" She exclaimed, laughing a little bit more and coughing a little bit. "Why do you think I was so quiet, huh? I'm not a good person, so I kept to myself, and I'll continue that with our breakup."

"So what about Sakura, Hinata? Or any of the other friends we have? They're gonna be worried about you, I managed to keep them content with the fact that you're 'sick' right now, but what'll happen when the truth, the _whole_ truth comes out?" I managed to seethe out without raising my voice.

The look on her face went from amused to angry, telling me to prepare myself for what's coming next. "Them? Shit, like I care about them. Sakura hadn't cared since her and Sasuke got to fucking, Ino and Asuka liked me because we could relate, Temari was like a 'mom' figure and Shika? I like him, I wish them the best. But you, we're _done_."

My heart felt like it just got stabbed by the tone in her voice when she said we were done. "Hina...I'm sorry I failed you. I made you a _promise_ I would _never_ give up, and I swear to you I wont, because I _love_ you." I lamented to her, my heart feeling better when she seemed to realize I was right, sporting a frown instead of a smirk now.

And then she leaned in and kissed me deeply on my lips, setting off the fireworks in my head. It was just like before. But everything ends eventually, including this.

She broke the kiss and pulled back her head, eyes closed, and just smiled, wiping some spit from her lip. "Naruto...oh Naruto." She giggled out, before the giggles turned into full on laughter. "Promises get broken, so get the fuck over it. You'll stick your dick in another girl and be happy in no time, hun." Okay, now I'm pissed.

I stopped her from turning and shutting the door, grabbing her wrist tightly and not letting go. "Hinata, I...I'll tell your dad about this, about _everything_." It was my last ditch effort to end this, but it ended up being a bad choice for me. A _very_ bad choice.

Turning around quickly she slapped me, leaving a red print on my face of her hand and pushing me back a little. Man she could pack some heat. "Leave, now! You do _not_ own me, Naruto- _kun_ , nor will you ever again, do you hear me? _Never_! So just leave me alone and let me live my life the way I want to...go!" She finished sharply, pushing me off of her and slamming the door in my face.

My hand shot to the doorknob but by the time I got there it was locked, and I heard Hinata's footsteps trail through the house and up the stairs. "Damn it man!" I cursed out loud, turning on my heel and getting in my truck, speeding off and away from her house.

Burning down the road I went to the only place I knew to go, the only person I could think to go to for more advice.

Mr. Hiruzen Sarutobi, former Hokage, who was sitting inside the tea shop in the library. He'll at least be impartial about this.

I hope.

* * *

 _2:15 pm._

I just finished wrapping up explaining the situation, starting at the beginning and laying everything on him. I was unsurprised when he took it all in stride, never interrupting or looking away from me except to pack his old pipe with tobacco.

He lit it with a match and tossed it into a water cup he had next to him, puffing the smoke out. "Hmm, sounds like you've found yourself in quite the predicament, Mr. Naruto, and while I'm sorry to hear about what you have dealt with, I have to say it was unwise to let yourself get hooked in the first place." I heard him mutter out before resting his head on his folded hands, which were propped up by the table.

Basically he said 'you done fucked up boy, and it's because your dumbass got hooked on drugs like a dumb shit', but only the proper form. "I know, sir, but right now I can't focus on that, I only want to focus on saving the life of someone I care about very deeply." Even if she's not really dying just yet, she will be soon enough.

With a nod he let more smoke flow out of his mouth. He cleared his throat before voicing his opinion on this. "Well, Mr. Uzumaki, the only thing I can recommend you do in a situation like this is try to figure out exactly _what_ her problem is." What her problem is? I know what it is, she's being stupid.

"Problem...as in like a mental disorder or just stress and drugs overtaking her?" I asked, lighting a cigarette and sipping on the tea presented in front of me.

The elderly man just nodded his head slowly, taking an elongated sip of his tea. "Ah, chai and chamomile. You should try this, it's relaxing indeed." He caught my look, giving a small chuckle. "And yes, I believe that, in this instance, there's something that goes deeper than just emotions and hormones." So it's up to me to find out. Great.

Only one problem, though. "She won't talk to me, Mr. Hiruzen, so how exactly am I supposed to figure out what's wrong with her when I can't even get the time of day without her blowing me off and hiding away." Kinda like a child. No, pretty much like a little kid.

A smile came across the former Hokage's face as he slowly raised his hand, and in it was a keycard for the archive library. "Son, in that library you will find the knowledge you require to figure this out. But don't take this lightly, and do _not_ stray too far off subject, or you'll find yourself in a more curious situation." Is he really giving this to me?

It was real, he put the card on the table and slid it to me. I picked it up and looked at it before pocketing it. "Wow, thank you so much Mr. Hiruzen, I'll be sure to head there as soon as I can, don't wanna waste any time." With that I shook the hand of the experienced war vet and parted ways with him.

Upstairs is where I'd find the information I needed. Thankfully I had my backpack with my notebooks in it.

So lets get this shit done, right? Right.

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 5th, 2:45 pm._

Hinata isn't sick, and I'm not stupid. Neither is Asuka. Something happened between these two and they won't say anything, and it doesn't seem like Naruto is doing much to fix the problem, so that leaves just one option for us.

Me and Asuka are going to find the problem and the solution. Not for us, but for everyone, especially the hyperactive blonde Naruto. He needs her love, and she needs his, I don't know what they would do without each other, to be honest. They'd just be miserable.

Therein lies the problem, they're both fucking miserable. Hinata won't answer _any_ texts we've sent her, and I figured calling wouldn't help either. She hasn't been on any social media anytime soon. She's basically ghosting all of us right now. I don't think Naruto has had any luck either, he's just been dragging his feet more and more.

It seems like every day that passes his feet get a bit heavier, and understandably so. I'd be devastated if me and Asuka split up and I never got the chance to reconcile or get the chance to fix anything. If she ghosted me I'd die, I'd like to think, she's pretty much my entire life right now. But as much as I love thinking about her we need to return to the task at hand; being the best detectives ever.

We were currently driving the streets of Los Kono looking for any straggling dealers in the shady alleys. Ever since the K5K cleaned up the Eighteen Sixties the rest of the cliques and clubs went into hiding. Which makes sense, but they still have to operate in the shadows if they want to keep afloat.

After being here thirty minutes we already confronted and talked to three dealers, getting no hits on if she's been over here anytime in the past four days, and just when our luck seemed to be running out, what would be the last target for the day was spotted in an alleyway finishing up a deal.

Cautiously we approached him, getting the greeting we expected from him. "Yeah, we're looking for something, but that something isn't a drug, it's an answer." Asuka said.

The dealer seemed intrigued, leaning against an A/C unit conveniently places in the alley. "Hmm, well depends on what the question is, I may just have what you're looking for. Unless it's something I can't say, of course." He finished with a smirk. He knew he was in control right now.

I coughed a little, clearing my throat before I spoke. "Sir, if you could just please tell us if you've seen this woman before, especially in the past four days." Showing him a picture of our raven haired friend his eyes lit up a bit, signaling his knowledge of her.

He stared at the picture for a few seconds, grumbling to himself a little. "Er, well she never told me _not_ to say anything, but then again she never said it was okay if I _did_ say something..." The sentence he began trailed off as he thought to himself for a second.

A few minutes had passed and our patience was growing thin as I sighed and buried my face in my hands. "Look, this is a matter more important than I can say, but we're her best friends, or at least we _were_. We just wanna know if she's okay and what's been going on." I said, trying not to get mad at the man.

Smirking a bit more he cracked, starting to tell us what we wanted to hear. "Well, she's been buying from me for about a week now, and she hasn't stopped if you're curious, only continued. She's okay, meaning she's alive, and as far as I know she just broke up with her boyfriend. Other than that I know she's not all right in the head, but that's all I know, I swear." Okay, I believe you.

Asuka sighed, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Thank you, Bone Head." She said, looking the man in the eye. He gave her a questioning look, making her smile a little. "If you're gonna get a nickname, _don't_ get it tattooed on your knuckles if you don't want people knowing." Well then, I gotta step up my observations now.

We all shared a little laugh as we went on our way, heading to a coffee shop we just found yesterday to discuss this. It's a quiet place where a lot of people go to talk about the important things in their lives, apparently

That and they have a killer double shot caramel macchiato iced coffee that I think is my new addiction. Swinging into the parking spot of choice we wasted little time in going inside and ordering the drinks, two of them, and finding a corner spot where we could talk.

But what was there to say? "So, from what I was thinking, I think what's going on with her is she's delusional." No shit, Asuka. "Naturally yeah, but I mean it _literally_ , she has something going on in her head and she doesn't want anyone to know. I bet everything she's using drugs to drown it out." Oh, got ya...

So, if she's using drugs to drown it out I bet you more than anything the reason she's ghosting us is simple, my dear. "Yeah, I get you, and if she's doing this then I bet that the reason she's going ghost and isolating herself is she knows if she was around us we'd make her stop using the thing that's numbing her." Bingo, gotcha hun.

Nodding in agreement Asuka took a sip of her coffee, sighing out a sigh of relaxation. "Hits the spot." She said, before getting back on track. "And yes, that's what I thought too, but unfortunately waking her up, so to speak, from her delusions isn't so easy." Nothing is ever easy when it comes to mental disorders.

"Do you think it's schizophrenia? I know people with that suffer from delusions and hallucinations, mainly auditory ones containing voices that talk to the sufferers, making them believe them over everyone else." It could be that, or maybe something else.

Putting her hand on her chin Asuka thought for a second, before it hit her. "I don't think it's schizophrenia, per se, more along the lines of delusional disorder. I think there's depression in there too, but that's just me speculating." Agreed, but now we have to figure out where to go from here.

What do we do about the situation at hand with the info we know? "Now, I don't think it's wise to go straight to her father, we need to get some solid research done and all the books are in the archive library, which is top secret." Of course it is, why wouldn't it be?

It houses a lot of secrets and important documents. Most are easily accessed online, but the more important researches and discoveries are in the library itself, stowed away for safe keeping. "Yeah, that's the only problem. If only we couldn't get access to the library somehow, and I don't think our good looks will help right now." Asuka laughed, making me laugh too.

I wasn't expecting a mans laugh to be heard from the side of us, though. Someone was listening, but who? Looking over I saw someone lowering a newspaper. "There's no way the top security in the village would let you in even if you got butt naked." It was a silver haired man with a huge nose and he looked eerily _familiar_.

"Wait, you're Jiraiya right? Of the Sannin?" Jiraiya? Oh yeah, I remember now, they were handpicked by the third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and trained to be pretty much the best.

Unfortunately after the war one of them, Orochimaru, went rogue and got the Kage bid in Oto, Tsunade went off and did her own thing and Jiraiya started spying and also writes some of the most dirtiest books ever, the Icha-Icha series. But I love em, so piss off.

The aging man smiled and waved at us. "The one and only. You should make a better effort to keep your conversations quiet, though. Then again, I _am_ the leader in doing recon for the village, so...anyways, since this seems dire, I _can_ lend you my keycard, but you have to, er, _help me out_ , if you catch my drift." Oh I caught it loud and clear.

Smiling a sultry smile I stood up and walked over to the man, leaning down and resting my hands on the table, showing him a fair amount of cleavage. "So, it's _help_ you need right?" I asked, lacing my voice with a good bit of sexiness.

Asuka joined me in a second, letting him catch a glimpse of her bigger and better cleavage, leaning in and whispering in his ear. "Maybe you want some... _inspiration_...for your next novel, huh?" With that we almost broke the man, but it was time for the icing on the cake.

With me on one side of him and Asuka on the other we leaned in to each other from across the table and kissed, making sure to throw in a few quiet moans and grab each others asses, sticking our tongues into each others mouths and giving the potential helper a good show of sexuality.

We heard an audible gulp as he slapped the keycard down on the table, pushing towards us. "O-okay that's good, I didn't exactly mean that but it'll do." Wait, so we didn't have to do this? Then what? "You guys are _too_ young, I just wanted some help answering this crossword." He pointed at the newspaper.

I couldn't help but laugh a little before sliding the keycard into my purse. "Well, thanks anyways Mr. Jiraiya, we'll return this within the next few days." Asuka said, taking my hand in hers as we headed to the car.

Time to get some answers.

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 5th, 5:00 pm._

Sasuke's parents had left about fifteen minutes ago to go on a 'date'. But if I'm right they're just gonna go get a hotel and have sex in peace, like me and Sasuke are most likely about to do, because why not? It's been a long week for all of us.

Especially Shikamaru, little Asa will be ready to go home tomorrow in the afternoon, and that's gonna be fun for him to deal with. From what I've heard Temari is gonna move over here with him and enroll in Kono high with him and the rest of us, including Hinata.

Oh Naruto, you think we're dumb enough to believe she's 'sick'? I ain't buying it, bub, and neither is pretty much everyone, I just wish he would tell us how much he fucked up so we could help him fix things. He had to have messed up pretty bad, I never saw her breaking up with him from day one. Why is it so easy to blame Naruto for this though? He's a good guy.

Which has made me wonder if it really was her and not him. But that thought is for another time that isn't right now, though, considering I'm about to be dominated.

We haven't done the dirty in the past four days and it is _killing_ me and him, hence why we need to do it as hard as we can while we can before the opportunity runs out. In a few minutes I found myself completely naked and bared in front of Sasuke, laying on my back on the bed as he worked his clothes off.

He grabbed some rope from the closet and flipped me over, tying my wrists together before wrapping rope up and down my arms in an intricate pattern. I winced a little as the pink rope dug into my skin but persevered, not letting it get to me too much.

Next he took the rope and tied each of my ankles to their respective wrists, leaving my legs split a little and my body immobile. It was the least control I've had in a long time, and judging by the dripping moistness from my pussy I was _loving_ it.

Once he got done doing that he put a ball gag on me, muffling any little moans or whimpers I was letting out. He wasn't done, tying my long hair into a fishtail braid which let him have more leverage when he grabs it. Soon enough the show will start, I'm literally trembling in excitement here and aching for his length inside of me.

I was granted my wish, moaning into the gag when he thrust all seven inches of his cock into me. He grabbed the braid and pulled my head back, exposing my neck and letting him grab it, squeezing my throat and cutting off my air supply, which drove me insane in the membrane. With a few small slaps to my cheeks he leaned down, biting my neck and sucking on it, leaving the love marks I craved.

My moans got louder when he thrusted two fingers into my asshole and twisted them around, spreading it with his fingers and thrusting them in and out. I'm positive if I wasn't gagged right now the entire village would hear me, and that's no good...for them.

Two hours and five orgasms each later we were both exhausted, huffing and puffing from the act of coitus. I was rubbing the red marks on my wrists and ankles when he kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arms around me. "I love you so much, Sakura-chan." He muttered into my ear.

It was a rare moment of true emotion from the stoic man I called my boyfriend. I just smiled and let an unseen tear roll down my eye. "I love you too, more than you can ever imagine." I said, speaking slowly and softly.

* * *

 _9:00 pm._

I know normally Sasuke never falls asleep this early, but he's been exhausted today. First he was playing his drums trying to release the frustration of Naruto lying to us, and then the sex just topped it off, draining him of his energy.

But I couldn't sleep, everything was still on my mind, thoughts running through my head like a mighty flowing river, the sounds of the waves gushing and flushing keeping my mind awake, so I did the only thing I knew to do right now, and that is get high.

Funny thing is this is the first solo smoke session that I've had since me and Sasuke got together, and I've forgotten how good it feels to just unwind and get stoned on my own. As much as I love being with Sasuke and smoking with him and whatnot, I need a little me time, and me time is what imma get damn it.

Mikoto and Fugaku shouldn't be home till midnight or later so I think I'm good for a while, and Sasuke will sleep until the morning when we get up to go do a few things, leaving me alone with my own thoughts and a half ounce of some good and sticky Suna imported pot. That village has a drug trafficking issue due to the desolation it has, with the desert perfect for growing pot, in some parts you can grow coca plants for cocaine, opium plants and set up popup meth labs.

All it takes is a little sand colored camouflage and you're Gucci, unless the ground forces spot you for some reason, which is highly unlikely due to the military equipment bogging down in the heat and sand, and the drug dogs suffering from heat exhaustion.

Never did I think that the humane society would be a key factor in the drug smuggling ring, but it is, and it'll stay that way. I know they've used areal drones with IR sensors, even that isn't enough to bring the multi-billion dollar industry to its knees, and demand hasn't been this high in forever.

What can I do about it? I'm just one person who just smokes pot, my choice to do so doesn't affect the people that want to get spun out on some other drug, typically one with stronger effects but even stronger side effects, effectively ruining lives and destroying relationships. Wait...

Destroying relationships...huh...could that be the cause of Naruto and Hinata's separation? I never knew the woman to be a druggie, but then again they did smoke pot. I know it's not the gateway drug at all, but perhaps there's something she's hiding deeper than any of us chose to look, like an underlying issue or illness.

I'm just worried about my friend, she's too kind and gentle to deserve whatever she's going through, I can see the empathy and love in her and it's almost unbearable.

Unbearable because we should all be like that, yet we aren't, and we often fall short of the expectations that are held to us by the rest of the world. We're all expected to help everyone we can, from the starving in countries like Wave and Mist to the oppressed in Oto and, somewhat, Kumo.

Tsuchigakure has stepped up its game recently bringing more diplomatic, economic and humanitarian aid to the civil war torn countries like Mist, and putting more and more embargoes on the Oto dictatorship. It's insane to think that one of the three Sannin became someone so cruel, ruling a country of three hundred thousand with an iron fist.

A small army of around ten thousand have formed themselves an anti-Orochimaru guerilla warfare military, seizing land in the southern parts of Oto and standing their ground, planting their boots in the dirt and buckling down for an intense ride.

And an intense ride it's been, with the aforementioned dictator running attacks against them with his sizeable army, numbering close to forty thousand, but it could be bigger than that. Then there's the rumors of him using chemical attacks against the civilians and rebel army.

Ugh, I just wanna get high and rest my mind man, and instead with the shit storm going on around us in the world and our personal lives I fail to be able to. The only answer is to push myself higher and finish this entire half ounce by myself, the most I've done in one sitting being close to a half ounce but not there yet, and that was _fun_.

Well, there's no time like the present to test yourself and your limits. bhe

* * *

 _11:45 pm._

Well, I did it, I managed to finish the entire sack by myself, and now I'm higher than a bonsai tree, or somethin'. But it did little to calm my thoughts, only suppress the sad emotions I was feeling in this moment.

Sadness for Hinata, mainly. If I knew what was going on I would at least feel better, but I don't, and that's what's killing me the most. She is someone I consider a sister to me, the sister that I never had, just liker Naruto and Shikamaru are the brothers that I never got to have. Their parents are the parents I needed after mine went south and did their thing with me.

Kushina did her best for me, so did Mikoto, and Shikaku was always there to give a piece of advice when you needed one, and whenever he decided not to be lazy and give you something you actually need, not a halfway response. I think it was Yoshino that made him ninety percent of the time.

To be fair the music I was playing didn't help, which was my throwback emo playlist from when I was a thirteen year old depressed emo scene bitch. What a time to be alive.

I was never a big singer because I can't really sing, but for some reason when I get high by myself I can't help but sing, it's like an burning urge at the back of my throat that begs to be answered, and I fail to say no most of the time. That and I loved this song anyways.

 _I know I can't take one more step towards you, 'cause all that's waiting is regret. Don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore, you lost the love I loved the most._

 _I've learned to live half alive, and now you want me one more time._

 _Who do you think you are? Runnin' 'round leaving scars, collecting your jar of hearts, and tearing love apart. You're gonna catch a cold, from the ice inside your soul._

 _So don't come back for me, who do you think you are?_

The words came out smoothly and naturally to me, I've been listening and singing along to this song for a few years now and it continues to move me emotionally. I thought about the dark haired girl we call Hinata and deduced that she's the one who was causing the issue, there's no way it's Naruto.

 _I hear you're asking all around, if I am anywhere to be found. But I have grown too strong, to ever fall back into your arms._

 _I've learned to live half alive, and now you want me one more time._

 _Who do you think you are? Runnin' 'round leaving scars, collecting your jar of hearts, and tearing love apart. You're gonna catch a cold, from the ice inside your soul._

 _So don't come back for me, who do you think you are?_

I just refuse to believe that this is over, I'm not buying it at all. She'll come back to us, and everything will go back to normal...I hope...please Hinata, I can't stand losing any more people that I love and that are close to me.

 _It took so long just to feel alright, and remember how to put back the light in my eyes. I wish that I missed the first time that we kissed._

 _'Cause you broke all your promises, and now you're back, you don't get to get me back._

It did take a long time to feel alright again after everything, and even through the chaos that we've dealt with in the past nine or ten months one thing had stayed true; we have each other to lean on whenever we need a friend or a brother/sister, because we are _family_.

 _Who do you think you are? Runnin' 'round leaving scars, collecting your jar of hearts, and tearing love apart. You're gonna catch a cold, from the ice inside your soul._

 _Don't come back for me, don't come back at all._

By this point in the song tears were dripping down my face, supplied by my dull and bloodshot green eyes, devoid of anything besides apathetic sadness.

 _Who do you think you are?_

I promise, Hinata, we _will_ get you back from whatever is ailing you...believe it!

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 6th, 12:30 am._

All alone...finally! My dad and sister were both off doing things, my dad on a trip to some feudal lords land and my sister out with her boyfriend, Konohamaru. Little punk he may be, but he's keeping her happy, and that's all that matters.

It's true, though, I'm happy now. I slapped the look of sadness off of poor lil Naruto's face and now he's gonna go whine and cry to whoever will listen. Boo fuckin' hoo, Naru, like anyone _really_ cares. Your girlfriend dumped you, it's not like it's a rare thing for high school kids.

So that leaves me here, alone in my room with my devices. Said devices being my pipe, drugs, cigarettes and my trusty dusty razor. For once, something I'm arguably more excited about, I get to strip down and get undressed and just relax without worrying about my dad and sister barging in and finding me.

Going through my ritual I dimmed the new lamp my dad got for me today in the corner of my room, a stand up floor lamp, and lit the two candles on either side of my TV.

Next I made my bed and positioned the pillows right to where I could lean back on them before positioning my tools on the nightstand next to where I was going to sit when it got down to it. I walked over towards my hamper and dropped my sweatpants and took my shirt off, leaving me in just my panties and a bra. Looking over my body in the mirror on my bathroom door I let out a throaty growl.

My thighs were lined with the tiny red marks I had made, and I could see my eyes sinking into my skull, the black bags under them getting bigger and bigger by the night. I, for a lack of a better term, looked like a zombie.

Albeit a still-cute zombie, but a zombie nonetheless. Stepping on the scale I saw the number and smiled just a little. One hundred and twenty five pounds. In four days I had lost five pounds from smoking and not eating. Maybe this isn't so bad after all, then again people would truly love me if I was that skinny bimbo.

You know, the one who everyone looks and says 'oh she's so pretty', 'I wish I could be more like her' and 'she's _perfect_ '. Sure, Naruto had said that I'm perfect, but he was the one who was getting in my panties. Ha, never again though. That stupid motherfucker would be better to move on.

Who the hell does he think he is, though? Putting hands on me and threatening to tell the 'truth' to my dad. What is the truth, anyways? I wonder if he's told his parents yet that he used to be a junkie just like me, maybe then he'd make daddy dearest proud of his son.

Then again, I'm not making my dad proud at all, but I don't care to be honest. It's hard to care right now, especially when I'm pulling smoke into my lungs that'll (hopefully) numb the thoughts that make me think that I should care. At least that's my dream right now.

I felt the rush of the drugs hit me, overtaking my body, my actions and my thoughts, but it wasn't enough this time. I needed more, and I did more, somehow not od'ing on the crystal stuff.

Two hours went by before I took another dose, pushing my limits and getting as high as I possibly can without killing myself...however tempting that happens to be...forget it, killing myself would be such a bummer right now, it'd be a waste of meth I just bought, and I'm _actually_ having fun right now.

Well, I _was_ having fun, until those blasted thoughts treaded back into my head, tormenting me with words and questions. 'He _loved_ you', ' _you_ loved _him_ ', 'look at you now, a pitiful excuse for a human being', and the one that hurt the most.

'You're a waste of space, so just _kill yourself_.'

Having enough of it I grabbed the razor blade and made four good sized deep gashes into my leg, deeper than I had ever went before, the blood pooling quickly and flowing down off my thigh. Wasting no time I stemmed the flow of blood and put pressure on it, killing the flow and sealing the wound. It's just more scars for me to show on the outside, exposing the ones I have on the inside.

I went to stand, wobbling a little, but managed to hold my ground. Stumbling over to the restroom I bandaged myself up and made my way back into my room, kicking my guitar over on the way. I picked the case up and set it on my bed, a song playing in my head that was begging for me to play it.

And that's if I can even play it right now in my state, but it's worth a shot. Unzipping it and pulling the wood guitar out I strummed it, surprised to hear that it was still tuned right, before sitting down on my bed and positioning it. Once I started picking the strings with my fingers it all just came flowing out nonstop, words included.

 _I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears. And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave._

 _'Cause your presence still lingers here, and it won't leave me alone._

My thoughts went over to the presence of someone who just won't leave me alone. Naruto. As much as I wanted him to burst into this room and make everything fell so much better, he has to stay away from me. It's for the better. For him and for me.

 _These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real, there's just too much that time cannot erase._

 _When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears, when you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears, and I held your hand through all of these years, and you still have..._

 _All of me..._

I feel like he's singing this song to me right now. He was always there for me, always taking care of me no matter what happened. And then I fuckin' ruined it like I usually do to _everything_. _I_ am the reason that _I_ can't have nice things, and it's time _I_ faced that fact... _alone_ , like I usually am.

 _You used to captivate me, by your resonating light, now I'm bound by the life you've life you left behind._

 _Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams, your voice it chased away all the sanity in me._

He was captivating, his unending energy, happy-go-lucky mentality and silver lining outlook never dragged me down, it only helped to elevate me into the realms I want to be in. No, not even want, _wanted_ to be in, but that's all over now. Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

 _These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real, there's just too much that time cannot erase._

 _When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears, when you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears, and I held your hand through all of these years, and you still have..._

 _All of me..._

Why not just go straight into the next part and skip my bullshit rambling.

 _I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone, but though you're still with me, I've been alone all along._

Even when he was with me I was alone, alone with my thoughts and my demons that I've tried to drown and kill at every given opportunity, but I _failed_ , because _I_ am a _failure_ , and that's all I will _ever_ be. Maybe I should just kill myself after all and save everyone the pain of me failing them _again_.

 _When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears, when you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears, and I held your hand through all of these years, and you still have..._

 _All of me..._

When I finished the song I set the guitar to the side and just collapsed onto my knees, my knees touching the floor, the music no longer numbing and silencing the voices in my head, driving me to the edge of giving in and listening to them. 'Worthless!' they screamed at me, reminding me of the things I already knew. 'Your father never loved you either!' I know...but...

"Shut up! Get out of my fucking head!" I screamed out loud, pounding my fists into the floor and banging my head against it. I drew blood from my head and once I did that, everything went quiet, the voices gone and now I heard nothing but my own beating heart.

I cried tonight, more than I have ever cried in a long time, and more than I probably ever will. But one thing is for sure.

Hinata Hyuuga has died tonight, not on the outside, but on the inside. And that's the most important part.

I'm done...

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 6th, 1:45 am._

Boy was I glad that the archive library was accessible twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. My head was hurting from all the information I took in tonight, but I could care less, because I am _so_ close to cracking the code.

After cross analyzing and comparing a few diseases, I've gotten it narrowed down to just three. Let's start with the one I consider the least likely, shall we?

Major Depressive Disorder, how fun. Symptoms include fatigue, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, insomnia (not sleeping) and hypersomnia (sleeping a lot), diminished pleasure in daily activities or the activities you liked the most before, restlessness, slowing down, thoughts of death and/or suicide and significant weight loss/gain.

Now, the reason I consider it the least likely is basically this, a file that I've found on her families mental health evaluation records. MDD wasn't in the records, and MDD is majorly hereditary. While still highly possible to get it outside of the hereditary connection, I find it highly unlikely when factoring in these next two.

Delusional Disorder, specifically the mixed type, not grandiose or erotomaniac, but a mix of the others. Symptoms are basic, really, mainly hallucinations of the auditory and visual kind and an angry, low or irritable mood. It can often lead to doing things on an impulse because you believe it's right. Because you're _delusional_ , hence the name.

And now to the big behemoth, Schizophrenia. One of the main reasons I believed that she has this is when looking through the mental health records for Hyuuga's the results surprised me. MDD tested under one percent for the family, Delusional Disorder tested close to five percent, but the one that tested the most was the aforementioned mental disease, Schizophrenia, at almost forty percent!

That's abnormally high for even the common flu. The last person to test positive for it was her grandma, aunt and a few cousins that are her age or a slight bit older, meaning that the pool for it to hop into her is huge, and I'm surprised she hasn't noticed it yet or even before all of this.

Symptoms of Schizophrenia include, but aren't limited to, auditory/visual hallucinations, delusions, disorganized speech, strange behavior like repetitive actions or sitting perfectly still and quiet for hours and being withdrawn and lifeless.

The number that has me worried is the climbing mortality rate and number of drug users that use drugs because of it, the former rising to fifteen percent suicide rate and the latter being a whopping seventy five out of a hundred user/sufferer ratio. Factoring in everything, it's simple.

After all these hours the study room I was locked in, courtesy of myself, became stuffy, prompting me to head out to the balcony to smoke a cigarette.

But what I wasn't expecting to see was two women, a red head and a blonde, hanging out and looking over files too. "Ino? Asuka?" I called out, seeing their heads swivel and look at me in surprise, like they didn't expect to see me here.

Ino's mouth gaped open, no doubt trying to spew an excuse and a lie about why she's here, but Asuka cut her off. "Ne, I'm sure you know why we're here, and I believe we know why you're here too. So let's cut the bullshit and get to the point, okay? Okay." Fair enough, Asuka, fair enough. Let's cut the crap.

Sighing I sat down in a chair facing them, directly across from them. "Yeah, we all know, I didn't want to lie but I couldn't just say that she was being a crazy, drug addicted woman. Sasuke knows we used to do them, but not Sakura and Shika, they're just speculating by now I'm sure." They deserve to know, though, I just haven't told em yet.

Taking a sip of her water Ino prepared to finally talk right. "Well, on the subject of Hinata we think she has Delusional Disorder." I snorted a little bit, drawing a glare from the blonde girl. "What? You have a different opinion?" I do indeed, my friends former friend turned friend to all of us.

I dropped the files I had on the small table in front of them, smiling as they looked at it in frustration. "Hyuuga mental health records, Delusional tested low while the one I think it is, Schizophrenia, tested high in the family. And being with her the most I can say that the signs are there." Asuka rubbed her eyes and yawned a little.

"Well, what do we do now?" Good question, my red headed former drug dealer turned friend of my friends former friend turned friend to all of us. I just shrugged, getting a laugh from the two. "So we're convinced she has that, but now we have to figure out what to do. Can you tell us what happened the night she left you?" Sure, might as well.

Launching into the story I went through it as quickly as I could, throwing in the events of earlier for good measure. "Damn son, she slapped you?" I nodded, glaring at the soon to be giggling girls. "Okay, it's not funny, I know. But I'm really at a loss, if she doesn't wanna talk then we're kind of screwed. I wish she could just wake up and see that she's hurting everyone." Wake up...huh...

Thinking quickly an idea popped into my head; jealousy rules everything. "Ino, Asuka, I have an idea but it requires you two to kiss me on each side of my cheek." I wasn't expecting them to just hop up and do it, leaving me little time to grab my phone and snap a picture of it.

When they heard the camera shutter go off, they looked at me weird before Asuka questioned me. "If I'm correct about what you're gonna do, you're gonna post this on all the social media sites and try to make her feel jealous, right?" She asked, getting a nod from me.

Looking over at me Ino voiced her opinion on this. "I can't say I agree, but I can't say that it's the worst idea ever, Naruto. You have a fifty/fifty chance of this working, but the downsides are too bad for me to take the risk, personally." Yeah, I know, but it's gonna take something big to get her to wake up.

I headed home after returning the files to their correct spots, finally getting home at just past three in the morning. I didn't care what mom and dad said, I need to smoke.

Cracking my window open and stuffing a towel under my door I took my shirt off and changed into some basketball shorts. Lighting the blunt I let the smoke fill my lungs and ease the stress and worry. I saw the acoustic guitar I had in the corner of my room and smiled, thinking of Hinata's and her beautiful singing.

The only thing I thought to do right now, after finishing this blunt, was to sing a sing for her. Even if her ears aren't anywhere near to me to hear me sing this for her, I feel like I have to do it, it'll help ease my mind a little. Settling on a song I tuned the guitar and strummed the tunes out.

 _Another day in this carnival of souls._

 _Another nights ends, end as quickly as it goes._

 _The memories are shadows; ink on the page, and I can't seem to find my way home._

 _And it's almost like, your heavens trying everything, your heavens trying everything to keep me out._

It didn't fit the situation perfectly, but it was one of her favorite songs to see and hear me play whenever I played for her, and it was constantly bringing tears to her eyes, tears that I was there to wipe away, and fears I was there to chase away, crushed by our love for each other.

 _All the places I've been and things I've seen._

 _A million stories that made up a million shattered dreams._

 _The faces of people I'll never see again, and I can't seem to find my way home._

Fuck it, I'm posting the picture. I've already let her go without busting down that door and making her see the truth.

 _'Cause it's almost like, your heaven's trying everything to break me down._

 _'Cause it's almost like, your heaven's trying everything to keep me out._

It was so emotional I couldn't even finish the song, moving on to another one, something a little more personal to me and her. It's not an acoustic song, but playing it on an acoustic makes it so much more chilling and powerful.

 _I remember when all the pain began, remember every little lie, and every last goodbye._

 _Promises you broke, words you choked on and I never walked away, it's still a mystery to me._

 _Well I'm so empty, I'm better off without you, and you're better off without me._

 _Well you're so unclean, I'm better off without you and you're better off without me._

 _The lying, the bleeding, the screaming, was tearing me apart._

 _The hatred, deceiving, the bleeding, it's over._

No matter how hard I try I can't tell myself that, in the event of a worst case scenario, I'm better off without her, or that she's better off without me. She broke her promises, she lied, she's _unclean_ , but I still stayed. Why? Why can't she just see it's because I truly loved her.

 _Paint the mirrors black (to forget you), I still picture your face, and the way you used to taste._

 _Roses in a glass dead an wilted, to you this all was nothing, everything to you is nothing._

 _Well you're so filthy, I'm better off without you, and you're better off without me._

 _Well I'm so ugly, you're better off without me, and I'm better off without._

 _The lying, the bleeding, the screaming, was tearing me apart._

 _The hatred, the beatings, disaster, it's over._

Was this really all nothing to her? Everything we did together, the love we shared, the moments, the intimacy and the friendship, and it's all nothing? Something that she can just throw away for an eight ball and her 'peace of mind' knowing that she 'won't hurt any of us anymore'? Bullshit.

 _As wicked as you are, you're beautiful to me._

 _You're the darkest burning star, you're my perfect disease._

 _The lying, the bleeding, the screaming, was tearing me apart._

 _The hatred, the beatings, disaster, it's over._

 _It's over now..._

Maybe it's just time to face the facts and move on. She's sick, mentally albeit, but still sick, and she needs help. Maybe I'm not the one to help her, I can't be her doctor this time and she isn't my patient anymore. She's right, I _don't_ own her, but one thing she doesn't understand is she owns me. Or at least she owns my heart.

Sighing I looked at the picture and just deleted it, running my hands through my hair before throwing them onto my lap. I know I'll win this battle, there's no way I'm giving up this easy. She _will_ see the truth, even if it means we never get back together. I just want her to feel better.

And what better way to show true emotion than to write a song for her?

...after I sleep, I think I just saw a pink elephant from sleep deprivation.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?


	25. Tribute To My Guardian Angel

**A/N:** Okay so I was a bit emo last week with the authors note and couldn't think of what to say, so here we are! I am excited for this chapter, and it's being released on the fourth of July (an American holiday celebrating out independence from the British, for any non-American readers. Funny thing is the declaration was signed on this day but it didn't go into effect until August 2nd, 1776 but I digress.)

With that being said it, sadly, isn't in the fourth of July time zone, that's coming up soon *wink*. Nor is this chapter about independence, really, tis another chapter in the never ending drama filled Naruto high school modern era universe I've built...wonderful, isn't it, how you can build an entire own world based on a world you saw in an anime as a kid and followed through teens and into adulthood. I think it is, at least.

So now I'm melding the **_disclaimer_ ** in with the authors notes, so here it is. I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters blah blah blah, Asuka is mine blah blah blah, lyrics aren't blah blah blah, they belong to a GREAT local band here in Houston called In Memory Of... and you should look em up on Spotify, the song is called Tribute (hallelujah) and it's amazing, then there's Your Guardian Angel by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and then a teensy little snippet of Red Razor Wrists by Upon A Burning Body (SATX represent).

As always, I love getting PM's and reviews, and follows/favorites are ALWAYS appreciated. And as always...enjoy!

 _ **EDIT:**_ I lied. I didn't get to release it on the fourth of July because I was super duper sick. But it's here now, forgive me for the late release, enjoy!

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 6th, 3:45 pm._

One con about meth, I hate waking up late and withdrawing. Sure the withdraws aren't that bad considering I haven't quit, but they're just enough to make me wanna stab myself in the heart and rip it out, ending my heartbeat and ceasing my life.

Damn, that got dark. Eh, oh well, I don't care. Huh, I really _don't_ care, considering the first thing on my mind in the morning is usually 'I gotta stop this, it's killing me', but not this morning. I say morning but it's more like the afternoon/early evening. When will my dad get a little suspicious of my sickness? Hopefully never.

I know he will eventually, especially if I keep dropping weight, five pounds isn't much, but when five turns into my goal of thirty-ish so I can hit my goal of one hundred pounds then yeah he might notice and get a bit worried. I also need to at least go out more so it doesn't seem like I'm just holing myself up all day and all night.

Hence why I'm taking Hanabi to the movies at five. As much as I love my sister I can't willingly go to the movies with her and her little boyfriend without a better rhyme or reason, my better rhyme or reason being that I'm trying to hide my 'problems' from father. Surprised he hasn't asked about Naruto or any of the others yet...yet...

That's the keyword, but I'll tackle that situation when I get to it, yeah? Yeah. Also I _do_ kind of wanna see this movie, Eighteenth Street, it's kind of a horror movie so let's not let father know about that, okay Hanabi? It's apparently about these kids who go to some cabin in the rural country area off of, you guessed it, eighteenth street, and find it to not only be haunted, but deadly, with traps in every room and a loose serial killer.

Supposedly there's a ton of sexual scenes in it, but they're fourteen they'll get over it, they need to come to terms with the fact that there's gonna be sex no matter where they go nowadays. Music, movies, books and TV are all victims of the sexualizing bastards. I'm not one to complain, I like sex. Well, I _did_ , now it's more solo.

Oh well, I'll get used to it eventually. I did it before Naruto, and I'll do it after him. Ugh, I _hate_ his name, it burns my mouth everytime I say it and aches my head everytime it comes into it. Let's hop off that subject and get dressed for the day.

Settling on a simple, modest outfit of some tight dark blue jeans that showed off the curves of my ass, a semi-tight tank top that, admittedly, showed a little too much cleavage, and my beat up all black converse with my vibrant pink socks I was ready for the day. A few squirts of perfume and braiding my hair and I was done by four.

Trotting downstairs I spotted the aforementioned young couple on the couch. Movie was at five, so we needed to leave here in the next fifteen minutes. "Oi, you guys are ready right? We're leaving here in the next fifteen minutes." I asked them, getting some half-assed nods and 'okays'.

Laughing a tiny bit at their answers I went to the back porch to smoke a quick cigarette and make sure I had everything I needed in my bag. Wait, did I just laugh? Whatever, it was one time Hinata, it won't happen again. No emotion no pain, amirite?

Setting my purse down on the table I reached in for the pack and pulled one out, lighting it and inhaling the smoke. Time to check everything else, though.

I started digging through it's neatly arranged contents and checking things off. Gum, perfume, lighter, cigarettes, band aids, wallet, some spare change, charger cord, and stowed inside a small wooden box at the bottom of my purse was the pipe, stuff and the razor I had been using. I went to slide the lid off the box, but someone's presence had stopped me short.

"Thank you again for taking them, Hinata, I love your sister and her young gentleman as much as the next person, but a man can only take so much of them and chaperoning them before he loses sanity." True that, father, but don't scare me like that again.

Turning around to him I just flashed him a fake smile and waved. "Don't think anything of it, it's about time me and Hanabi had some sister time, even if its split with her and her boyfriend." He seemed convinced by that reason, just smiling and nodding.

But then my worst fear came true when he took a seat in one of the chairs and motioned for me to sit too, donning a serious look. "We need to talk, though, before you go anywhere." Panic ran rampant in my head as I forced my body to move and take a seat. "You have to be honest with me, what's going on between you and Naruto?" Oh boy.

Calming my thoughts seemed harder than I thought, and collecting them was even harder. "I-I..." I trailed off, trying to think of a reason. "Me and Naruto, we're...just taking a break right now. A lot has happened recently and we thought it would be best to have some time to recollect ourselves." I don't know where that came from.

I'm thankful it came, though, because he bit into hard. "Oh, I see..." He said, putting his hand over his mouth and thinking. "Well, I am sorry to hear that, I wished the best for you two since day one and I hope you two can overcome this." I'm not sure we'll ever overcome this, pops, not like I want to anyways.

Forcing as real of a smile as I could fake I smiled at the man that I call father, capping off the lies. "It's nothing major, and now that I feel better I can collect my thoughts and figure this out." I shouldn't have mentioned that I feel better, but I did, and I'll live with it. Now he'll expect more from me.

He smiled back at me and stood up, signaling the end of the conversation. I stood up as well and wrapped my arms around him, giving him a hug. "Did you lose a weight, Hinata?" I guess he noticed, giving me no choice but to nod. "Oh, well I should've figured, being sick does that." Again, true. "Stay safe, and if you need anything-"

"Call you, of course daddy, you're the first person I would call." I said, smiling again as he just nodded and walked back into the house to do, er, whatever forty year old fathers do, what that is I have no idea, and it's not like I'm dying to know. I'll find out one day.

Granted I make it to the age of forty, only time will tell. I headed back inside and gathered the two kids up, almost having to literally drag them to the car. For wanting to get out and do stuff they really are lazy as fuck. By four fifteen we were on our way to the theatre, arriving just in time to get the tickets and snacks.

I let them get a seat, away from me thankfully, and take their stuff to their seats while I did, well, yano by now what I'm doing. Finding a 'family' restroom I made my way into it and put the diaper changing table down, setting my purse on top of it and digging through it to find the box I was looking for. I slid it open and grabbed the clear pipe and chopped up crystal, loading a bowl.

Nothing big, but not that small, just enough to help me fly through this movie and dinner with the two young teens. Drawing the smoke into my lungs I sighed in relief when the effects coursed through my body. I could never get sick of this, to be honest, it feels so _good_.

Hastily I stowed away the equipment and stuffed it back into my purse, dropping some visine in my eyes and popping some gum into my mouth. Heading out of the now tainted family restroom I walked down the hallway, finding theatre twenty one and entering it.

Lucky for me I found a row that had no one in it, the movie has been out for a week and a half so I'm not really surprised to see the theatre close to empty.

Konohamaru had found a spot with Hanabi right in the center of the aisle, which was in the center of the room, and he had his arm draped over her shoulder. They did make a cute couple after all. After I giggled at their young antics a little I found a spot at the very top of the screening room, setting my purse on the floor.

I just hope this movie is worth it.

* * *

 _7:45 pm._

 _"I told you it's never gonna end, Micah, the curse can never be bro-"_

That was all that the nineteen year old girl on the screen, Jenny, could get out before her heart got pierced by a spear, with a note hanging on the end of it. It read a simple message, 'you're next'. I saw the two down below me jump when they saw it happen, but I just laughed a little.

It was so obvious, to me at least, that they were gonna leave this one open for a sequel, which will no doubt be called Nineteenth Street or something like that. All in all it was a thrilling movie, even if it went for two hours and fifteen minutes after the thirty minutes of previews and adverts to start the movie, as it usually is at this theatre.

I'm not mad though, I got to see a good movie full of murders and sexual scenes, and even more innuendos. I don't know if Hanabi and Konohamaru liked it, but I guess I'll find out here in a minute when we meet up outside. They wanted to stay for the mid-credits scene, but I wanted to go smoke a cigarette.

When I got outside I made my way over to my Jeep and then it hit me. I left my purse in the theatre sitting on a bench by the restroom when I used it before coming out here. But when I turned around to flee into the building to retrieve it, a man my age stopped me, purse in hand. "Hey, I saw you leave this in there and figured you might need it." No shit, Sherlock.

He reached it out to me and I took it, smiling at him. "Thanks, I don't know what I would've done if it went missing." Twas true, but I thanked the five foot eight inch man, who must weigh about a hundred and sixty pounds. He had lightly tanned skin, green eyes and this dull brown hair that hung over his eyes a little bit.

"No problem, try not to forget it next time though." He spoke in a joking tone, sharing a laugh with me until something caught my eye, something I didn't need right now.

Ino's mom and dad were looking at us with a disappointed look on their face, but I decided to play this up a little bit. I was already caught, might as well. Without a warning I latched onto the purse savior, hugging him into me tightly. He made a protesting noise, prompting me to whisper in his ear. "Go with it right now, _please_." I begged the man.

Once I saw Inoichi and his wife disappear into the theatre I let him go, letting the man ask his question. "Okay, not that I don't like hugs but what exactly was the reasoning behind that one? And you could've at least learned my name first. I'm Han, and you are?" Han asked, sticking a hand out to me.

I took his hand and shook it, introducing myself. "I'm Hinata, Hinata Hyuuga, and why did I hug you? Well, my ex-friends parents were looking at me and I know they're gonna go tell my ex boyfriend, so I decided to play it up a bit. Sorry I used you as a medium, though." I laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck.

Looking at me he laughed a little, seeming content with my reason. "Yeah I've done the same before, so I can't blame you. But I must be going, Hinata, I have to go do a bit of shopping. It was nice meeting you, though." He said, waving as he walked off, entering his own car a little down from me and driving off.

Smiling I reached into my purse and grabbed my pack of cigarettes, popping one into my mouth and reached in for my lighter, finding it and a business card next to it. Pulling out the card and lighter I smiled as I read it. _"try not to lose it next time, if you need a savior again just call me"_ is what it read, listing his number too.

Smart man, he is, a smart man indeed. Maybe I will give him a call...

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 6th, 8:00 pm._

I was pulling my hair out right about now. I had just gotten Asa here at two and I'm already losing my shit, I didn't know a baby could cry so much! Temari was helping as much as she could, but she wasn't of much help right now besides helping me calm the little girl down.

Six days old and she's already brought me a mixture of emotions. From sleeplessness to forcing me awake, anger to happiness, sadness to joyfulness, and so many more I can't list. If I were to make a list it would be more like an autobiography, starting with the conception and continuing on until, well, it'll probably _never_ end.

Nevertheless, she's _home_ with me and her amazing mother and my soon to be wife, and that's all that matters to me right about now. It's time to move on and get things settled in here. Just yesterday Kankuro and Gaara helped move most of her clothes and stuff over here to my mom and dads place, visiting Asa in the meantime.

Admittedly I was surprised to see the gentle side of the two, more so Kankuro. I always knew that Gaara had a soft side to him, he just hid it very well. While they visited they both pledged their help whenever we moved into our new place, which was slated for July 29th.

It was a nice place, a small two bedroom house in a good part of town, paid for by my internship mostly, I'll just be paying the mortgage when I start my paid internship with them. When you walk in the front door from the front porch you come down a hallway which dead ends into the living room. To the left is the dining room and kitchen, which is accessible via a door from the garage.

To the right is a doorway, to the immediate front is the guest bathroom, go to the left from the doorway and you hit the master bedroom, and to the right is where we're gonna put Asa's room, which was being fixed up and painted, hence the delay.

There was work to do to it other than that, delaying it more, and the furniture won't be in until a week before the move-in date. Other than that, it was perfect for us right now. I was nervous to start the internship, but it was necessary, my first day being the Monday after the first week of school, August 15th.

Senior year...man how the time has passed. Some of it slowly but also a lot of it moved surprisingly fast, almost _too_ fast, scarily fast at some points. I thought back to the beginning of our junior year and how many things have changed since then.

I have a kid and a woman who I will call my wife soon enough, it's only a matter of time before Sasuke and Sakura get engaged, and I'm sure Ino and Asuka will too.

That brings us to Naruto and Hinata, does the former really think we believe that she's 'sick'? Maybe it's a half lie and she's actually mentally sick and not physically, but I can only imagine what's happened between those two. All I know is that it _wasn't_ Naruto.

How do I know? Well, Hinata has been exhibiting signs of distress and mental illness since the day she joined the family, I've seen it, I see a lot of things that the others don't see because, unlike the others, I pay attention to _everything_ , from the little things to the major things.

Being under mental duress can make you make decisions to bring you back to the 'old days' where you were more comfortable being alone, where no one messed with you and you were free to make your own decisions free of judgement from everyone else, because no one knew you were making those decisions.

This is, after all, only a speculation, and I _could_ be wrong, but then again...when am I _ever_ wrong? It may seem really cool always being right, but sometimes you don't want to be right. For months I knew there was something up with Choji, I just didn't want to be right, and so I never tried to fix anything.

It proved to be a fatal mistake, and it's one I'll live with for the rest of my life, prompting me to do something I've never done before; write a song for him. I picked up and acoustic guitar a few days ago from the local guitar store and quickly grasped the chords and stuff. Playing electric guitar surely helped.

And now I found myself sitting here, about to practice the song in front of my mom, dad and Temari. Asa was being held by Temari, who was keeping the baby calm as I started strumming out the chords and singing the words in a mellow voice.

 _It's all behind us now, what's done is done, you're gone now, you're gone now._

 _And I want this world to know, it took you away, far too soon._

 _And I know you didn't mean to walk away, and never come back to this place._

 _Now you're living it up, you're in paradise, you've got your eyes locked in._

 _You're singing hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah at the top of your lungs._

 _You're singing hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, amen._

I saw Temari and my mom tear up a little, they were just as shocked as I was that I could sing like this. To be honest I didn't think I had this in me, but I do, so here we are.

 _I know you told me to always believe in you, even when you are not around._

 _And it doesn't change a thing at all, even though you're six feet under ground._

 _And I know you didn't mean to walk away, and never come back to this place._

 _Now you're living it up, you're in paradise, you've got your eyes locked in._

 _You're singing hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah at the top of your lungs._

 _You're singing hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, amen._

Asa started cooing and smiling a little at me, which brought a little tear to my eye but I just shrugged it off, moving through the last verse of the song. Arguably this was the hardest one to get just right, but I managed to do it.

 _Rest in peace while I die out here, and my heart is getting colder, but my face is warm with tears._

 _I believe that you will hear me if I sing loud enough, so I'll scream to the heavens with everything I'm made of._

 _And we're screaming hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah at the top of our lungs._

 _We're screaming hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, amen._

 _Amen._

 _And we're singing hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah at the top of our lungs._

 _Amen._

My heart felt lighter finally singing that song for Choji, getting small claps from everyone in the room. Temari even put Asa's hands together and clapped them for me, putting a smile on my face and making me laugh a little bit.

Maybe things will be right after all...just maybe...

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 6th, 11:45 pm._

Wracking my brain for these past two nights have driven along the process of writing this song, with a few bouts of frustration, anger, sadness and questioning thoughts of why I'm doing this, is she worth it, and what if, after all of this, she still doesn't change a damn thing?

Those are just some of the many thoughts I've had run through my head. Dad agrees that it's a good idea, mom thinks it _may_ work but knowing women like Hinata, like me, has given even her some doubts about it's possible results. She could love it and love me again, or hate it and continue on, or hate it while loving the notion of the song.

Honestly I'm facing reality and that is that there's a fifty percent chance of me falling face down. On the flipside, there's _also_ a fifty percent chance that this could work at the same time. As you can imagine I'm aiming for the chance that this works, but only time will tell. As much as it hurts to do this, I'm gonna have to wait a little.

I was shooting for the annual Fourth of July festival, where I can get on the acoustic stage and try to catch her attention. Will it work? I have no idea, but me, Sasuke and Shikamaru have decided to try and collaborate and make some music, we meet tomorrow to get this hammered down.

But for now, all I have is this song that I'm about to play. Guitar tuned to the right tuning, pick at the ready, let's do this.

 _When I see your smile, tears roll down my face, I can't replace._

 _And now that I'm strong I have figured out, how this world grows colder and it breaks through my soul and I know._

 _I'll find deep inside me, I can be the one._

 _I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever._

 _I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven._

And I wasn't lying, right about now I'd do anything to get Hinata to come back to reality, even if it did send me to heaven. She doesn't deserve half of this shit she's going through, and neither do I to be honest, but like usual I'm more worried about her than me at this point.

 _It's okay, it's okay, it's okay-ay-a-a-ay._

 _Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling all for us._

 _Days grow longer and nights grow shorter, I can show I'll be the one._

 _I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever._

 _I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven._

Oh how I want to be there right now and just whisper those words into her ear, but even if I was there it wouldn't change anything, we saw how well that worked out for me last time, she ended up laughing in my face and slapping me, something I never thought she'd ever do, she was always anti violence.

 _'Cause you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart, please don't throw that away._

 _'Cause I'm here, for you, please don't walk away and please tell me you'll stay, yeah!_

 _Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh, stay-ay-ay-ay-ay, oh, oh-oh, oh, oh, oh-oh._

 _Use me as you will, pull my strings just for a thrill._

 _And I know I'll be okay, though my skies are turning grey._

 _I will never let you fall, I'll stand up with you forever._

 _I'll be there for you through it all, even if saving you sends me to heaven._

I let the chord ring out before burying my face in my hands, trying to blink off a few tears of frustration. I was doing all I could not to find myself back in that hole again, the same dark and dreary place that my now-former lavender lover is in. It's hard enough digging her out of a hole and offering my hand to her, I don't think I can handle having to do the same with myself at the same time.

It's like she's gone and done this on purpose, maybe she just wanted to see if I would stick around long enough to try and save her, maybe it's all just a big test...

Unfortunately I know it's not, and it's not gonna change anytime soon if I keep moping around like this instead of getting off my ass and busting said posterior to get the love of my life back. A promise was made, and it's one I plan on keeping.

A knock on my door surprised me, prompting me to jump up and make sure I was fully dressed and my room was at least decently straight before I answered the door for whomever the nighttime intruder is. "Who is it?" I asked through the door, my interest peaking right about now.

Whoever it was audibly sighed and, from what I could tell, thumped their head against the door. "Baka, just open the door, we have to talk." Ino? What could she be doing here at this time of the night? Surely Asuka was with her too.

Swinging the door open I was greeted by the grim and slightly annoyed looking faces of Ino and Asuka, who just made their way into my room and took a seat right on my bed. "Oi, is there any reason you two are here at almost midnight?" I asked, unsure if I wanted the answer to that question.

As usual, when it comes to bad things I'm usually right, as the answer that the two women gave me wasn't the one I _ever_ wanted. "This." Ino said, turning her phone around and showing me a picture, one that instantly stewed up a storm of emotions inside of me, going through anger, sadness, rage, malice and complete brokenness.

"N-no, this isn't right..." I stuttered and trailed off, my hands closing tightly into fists as I shook, the emotions showing vibrantly as Asuka and Ino gave me a sad nod, confirming that what I was seeing was indeed true. "But h-how, and when?" Is this another question I don't want the answer to?

Asuka answered this time, explaining the origins of this candid. "Well, we were at the movies when we noticed Hinata was there, and she seemed to be alone until Inoichi said he saw her in the parking lot with some boy and he secretly snapped the image while she stared him down, pretty much daring him to say something." The picture, one of her hugging some guy, spoke more than anything she's said recently.

Immediately I tried to make sense of things. Had I worked and wracked my brain doing research just for this to happen? "No...this isn't real..." I muttered out, running my hands into my hair and gripping it tightly, so close to pulling it straight out of my head.

One of them tried putting a hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off quickly. "Hey, calm down Naruto, it'll be okay dude." Now I know it was Ino, the cause of this...

" _Don't_." My harsh and cold voice froze the two women in my room with me. " _Leave_." I continued in my cold voice, getting a look from them. Sighing I answered the looks they gave me. "If it wasn't for _you_ ," I pointed at Ino, "I would've went through with my plan, but _no_ , you _had_ to but in and put your nose in things!" My voice raised a little.

The temper I was showing made the blonde girl stand up quickly, making me stand up too and issue a gaze that overpowered hers, making her submit to me. "You know what, fine, let's go Asuka, let the little baby handle this on his own." She said, dragging the red head out of my room and trudging downstairs.

When they left I cursed myself and slammed my hand against my nightstand, cursing even more at the pain but ignoring it. I needed to hit something, and I knew just the place to go right about now.

I just hope that when I get there, _he_ isn't there.

* * *

 _June 7th, 1:30 am._

 _I'm a god damn monster, ugh!_

With another thrust I pounded my fist into the punching bag, expelling a breath with each and every time I dug my fist into the victim of my wrath. Normally I'd imagine the person I was pissed at, but I can't bring myself to think about hitting Ino, so I'm just thinking about hitting the guy she hugged.

Sure, we're technically 'separated' right now, and I'm sure _she_ told him some lie about me to make him think it's okay to just go hugging on her, but that doesn't make me not pissed the fuck off right now. He's lucky I don't even know his name or I'd find him.

Rotary Powerhouse gym and dojo was the place to be right now, since the man I'm avoiding right now is _never_ here this late..."Oi, blonde headed idiot, you have to focus your breathing more if you want to more effective in a real fight." ...spoke too soon, it seems.

I spun around and begrudgingly bowed to the silver haired man in front of me. "What the hell do you want, pervy sage?" Pervy sage being the nickname I gave to my sensei and former training partner. Jiraiya, a Sannin he may be, still doesn't excuse him from his, er, less than desirable antics and habits, mainly being a major pervert and a lazy ass sensei.

Seriously, in the four months he taught me I learned diddly squat while in one month with Guy-sensei I learned a whole helluva lot more, and it was more effective. "Ma, can a former sensei come see what's bothering his former protégé?" Nope, not really, hence the word _former_ , dumbass.

Letting out a grunt of annoyance I bowed to the punching bag before stepping off the dojo mat and sliding my sandals on. "No, that's why you're my _former_ sensei, get it? I can't deal with you too right now, or I'll really lose my shit and go hurt somebody." I made my way to the door, preparing to leave, but Jiraiya was in tow the entire time.

"Oi...oi! You think I'm gonna let you leave after you said something like that? Former sensei or not I can't just let you potentially ruin your life!" He yelled after me, following me all the way until we got to my car, where I turned around and gave him a glare that could freeze even the hottest of fires.

Admittedly I surprised myself when I gave him a low snarl, but I didn't care right now. "Look, _pervy sage_ , I could care less what you think right now. I can't ruin anything if I don't have much of anything to ruin, so who gives a flying fuck, just leave me the hell alone!" I yelled, making an attempt to enter my truck, only to be stopped by his hand.

He grasped my wrist, prompting me to do something I never thought of doing. I struck at him. But he showed his true skill, dodging the left hook by ducking under it. Before I knew it he had locked my arm in a drag takedown, launching me onto the asphalt concrete where he buried a knee into my back, still holding my left arm.

Letting out a growl of pain I hissed at him, which only made him dig in deeper, bending my arm back farther than it should go. "Calm the hell down, ass hat, and listen to yourself would you? You're so lost in anger that you don't even know what you're doing! You tried to hit me, knowing that I am twenty times more skilled and experienced, that's how dumb you act while you're mad, son." Fair point, I'll give you that one perv.

Making an attempt at hitting the old man wasn't my brightest idea, I don't know what was going through my head, all I know is this shit _hurts_. "Okay-okay! I admit it, I'm not acting right, but this hurts so can you let me go now?" I asked him hurriedly, wanting relief from the hold.

Obviously I hadn't learned enough, 'cause he held on for another second. "Hmm, how do I know you've learned, gaki?" I growled out more angrily than I ever had before, surprising both me and him. "Okay, I got you kid, I'll let you go now, just don't try to hit me again, okay?" I nodded, relief flooding me when he released the hold.

When I felt his knee leave my back more relief came, allowing me to stand up and stretch my arm out. "Yikes, where was this part of you when we trained together?" It was a good question, he very, _very_ seldom showed any sort of skill like this.

The elderly man just laughed a little, brushing his pants off. "Well, I just didn't think you were ready. You couldn't even pass the emotion test so I didn't think you'd be able to handle the stress of dealing with my full move set. Now, you mind telling me what this is all about?" Might as well, it's not like it matters anymore anyways.

I started going through the story, starting from the beginning and going through to the end, as he soaked in all the info while quietly observing, testing me for any lies. "So that's basically it, it's all a big shit storm for me and her, more so for her." Jiraiya hummed a bit, mulling over the info I just fed him.

Once he seemed content with the answer he had he laid it on me. "Have you thought about spending some time alone and thinking this over solo?" Huh? Solo?

You mean after all these years of telling me that friendship was more important than I thought you want me to actually go this alone? "I...I don't know, pervy sage, I think it would be a good idea, I'm just not sure if I'm ready to handle something like this by myself." Who knows, I may just end up like the one I wanna save.

His last words of advice rung through my head, though, spoken as he walked off. "Well, I gotta go get some sleep, but listen Naruto, if you never try you'll never know. Your friends will always be there for you, but even they know sometimes things need to do be done alone. Ja ne, gaki!" Thanks for leaving me so early, teme.

But he wasn't exactly wrong, I'll never know if I'm ready to do this until I actually do it.

There's only one way to find out. I'm sorry guys, but this _is_ something I need to take care of by myself.

Wish me luck.

* * *

 **SHINO-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 7th, 3:30 am._

It's inconceivable that the medication the doctor has prescribed me would wear off so quickly, effectively hurling me back into the state I was in before. I must have a talk with my doctor before the unthinkable happens, and if the unthinkable happens, well, let's cross that bridge when we get to it.

Who would've thought that the quiet, 'nerdy' kid would harbor some of the biggest and darkest secrets? In all honesty it makes a lot of sense to me, at least. They have to imagine there's a big reason I keep to myself, and the reasoning is quite simple; I'm bordering mentally insane harboring these murderous thoughts.

No, I don't have voices speaking to me, and that's what makes it even worse. These thoughts are my own, fabricated by the worst parts of my brain which are slowly but surely taking over the still _somewhat_ sane parts of my brain, and I say somewhat sane very lightly, as those harbor some demons.

And so I sit here, locked away in my basement bedroom, a place I've learned to call my home, somewhere I can be alone with my own thoughts and not let them affect the people that I call my family, who live on the surface. The only ones who know about my condition are my parents, who decided it'd be best to leave my sister and the other family in the dark.

No doubt it's because, like a lot of parents, they don't want to face the fact that their little baby boy is a borderline murderer. Have I ever attempted to kill someone? No, not yet, but that doesn't mean the chances are low. If my calculations are correct, then there's a fifty-fifty chance of it happening in the next year.

That's one thing that everyone doesn't realize about always being right, sometimes you really, _really don't_ want to be right, and lord knows that I don't want to be right. My mental counselor asked how it felt to not have any control over my thoughts, and I couldn't answer her, only staring into her eyes through my sunglasses.

'Four eyes' is just one of the many insults I face on the daily, and it doesn't bother me, because if they could see my eyes, the insult previously mentioned would turn into something more along the lines of 'psycho', 'freak' or 'crazy'. I personally don't mind it, they're almost true.

My 'family' wouldn't care if they knew the truth, so why does it matter? I'll just continue to wage a war against myself, in a losing effort usually.

I moved my hand towards the pill bottle and was about to turn the lid off when a soft, silky hand grasped my wrist. "Oh come one, _darling_ , I already told you that you really shouldn't trust those things, they'll _never_ work." Her voice was equally as soft as her hand, coaxing me to drop the bottle.

Turning I faced the woman and frowned, lowering my head a little bit. "And I thought I told you not to come around here anymore, remember what _almost_ happened the last time I almost listened to you?" How could she forget? Lord knows that _I_ couldn't, and still can't...

Her giggles filled my head as she walked around me and plopped down into a chair next to mine at the desk. "You think I forgot? I could _never_ forget the day you almost ended that bitch of a mom you have. How _dare_ she tell _me_ that _I_ look like a common _whore_?" Because it's almost true?

She was five foot, two inches tall, a whole five inches shorter than my five foot, seven inch frame. Her weight, sitting at around a hundred pounds, fit her loose frame, and the clothing choices she made were, er, _risqué_ , to say the least. She commonly adorned the shortest of short shorts that hugged her 'perfectly toned ass', and the tops she wore showed off her d-cup cleavage a little too well.

"That's my mom, Uwa, my _mother_ , she raised me, and I almost brought her life to an end. How do you expect me to be proud of that fact? And the fact that she doesn't even know what her son, whom she raised from infancy, almost ended her, it makes it worse." I said, running hands through my hair.

Uwa dangled her legs off the chair like a child, twirling a lock of her dark purple hair around. "Well, I get that, but it doesn't change the fact that I know _exactly_ how to control you, Shino-kun." Don't remind me, not like I wanted or needed something or someone else to control me.

Without a warning she leaned in and removed my glasses and stared straight into my eyes, not flinching even once. "Please, not tonight Uwa, le-" I was cut off by her lips diving onto my own, intoxicating me and drawing a growl from my throat.

I felt her hand grasp my inner thigh as she moaned into my mouth. "Hmm, why not tonight? It doesn't have to be your mom, you know, there is one person that tried to put his hands on me." When she said that I went rigid, and my eyes instantly started seeing red. She had me right where she wanted me.

The war raged inside my head to quell the thoughts, but I was quickly overwhelmed by a murderous rage. " _Who_?" I grunted out, standing up from my chair quickly.

And in that moment, she knew she had won. "Come, Shino-kun, I'll take you to him." Her words moved me to the back door, which led to an alley, where we quietly snuck off into her car, an all black coupe. Where were we going? I don't think I can answer that right now.

We made our way to a dark and quiet part of town, parking in a pitch black alleyway, startling a few cats away. They didn't need to see this side of me, the uncontrollable demon that Uwa had control of.

She ushered me out of the car, motioning for me to follow her to the alley adjacent to ours. "Uwa-chan, who tried to hurt you?" I asked in a flat and dead monotonous voice, malice dripping from it. She smiled and pointed at a house across from us, all the lights out except the porch light.

Before I could make my way towards the house, I felt her hand grab my wrist, her other one brandishing a dagger. "Don't forget the knife, baby." She thrusted the black steel dagger into my hand, a handguard extending one and a half inches out on each side, the handle wrapped in dark brown chord.

It was the same one she tried to get me to plunge into my mothers heart. I froze, but her gaze coaxed me back into place, making me grip the handle and nod, moving towards the house now. I quickly cut the wiring to the porch light, plunging the entrance in darkness.

Quickly I was working on the lock, taking a paperclip and expertly picking the lock in under thirty seconds. The lock clicked, letting me know I was clear to twist the knob and enter the residence of the man who tried to hurt my lover. I twisted the doorknob slowly, letting the door swing open quietly, before taking a few steps into the house, closing the door quietly behind me.

My steps were quiet as I went down the hallway, spotting three doors, one dead ahead and two to either side of me. I cleared the one on the left, finding the office of the man who was surely about to become my first victim. And to the right was the restroom. So that meant one thing.

Dead ahead was my target. I moved my feet, silently creeping up to the bedroom door. The man inside was snoring, giving me the greenlight to open the door. When I did, I saw a man, who had to have been in his late twenties, sleeping soundly in his bed, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants, his body uncovered by the blanket on the floor.

A tattoo covered his heart, which was two arrows, a black one and a gold one, crossing each other to form an 'X', with a wreath enclosing it. He was a Blaster, a gang known for drugs, pedophilia and sex trafficking. Makes sense why he targeted Uwa now.

No more wasting time. In a few short seconds my body was hovering over his, dagger raised in the air. As I was about to plunge it down, I felt a twinge in my head, the good parts of me were fighting back as hard as they could. But they were no match for the murderous intent I had, and without another second thought the dagger plunged.

I flinched when it burst through his skin, his eyes and mouth shooting open. He let out a silent scream from the perfectly placed stab, and within a few seconds his breathing rattle to a null, effectively ending his life. My hands shook as reality set in. I had finally done it.

It took everything I had not to throw up, instead I removed the dagger from his heart and stowed it in my pocket, exiting the house quicker than I had came in, locking the door on the way out. I caught Uwa's shining, rare yellow eyes in the dark alley, as she rushed over to me.

Nothing needed to be said, as she saw the blood on my hands and the little bit of the red life juice that dirtied my white coat. "Shino...I'm so proud of you..." She muttered.

Taking my hand in hers she hurriedly led me to the car, ushering me into the passengers seat as we rushed away from the scene. Within five minutes we were back at my house, somewhere I didn't want to be right now, but I was safe here. We went back inside, cleaned the dagger off and stored it under my bed in it's black box, which was marked with gold ornate designs.

As much as I wanted to scream right now, I kept quiet, the images of the mans gaping mouth and dead eyes, the images that will surely haunt me for the rest of my life, something that I never wanted to happen, but it did.

All Uwa said to me for the rest of the night was how she was proud of me, and how she loved me, pledging to never let me be alone anymore. We made love that night.

Is it worth not being alone? Is murdering someone worth having nights like these?

Maybe.

* * *

 **SASUKE-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 7th, 2:00pm._

You know, I wasn't worried about my knuckleheaded best friend, until he started blatantly ignoring my calls and texts when we were supposed to go to the movies at four, instead texting me backing saying he was 'sick'. Boy, did he really think that I was gonna fall for that shtick?

But when I drove by his house, no one was there, not even his truck. I'm sure his mom and dad are working, but him? Nah, he hasn't had a job in his life. I can't talk much 'cause neither have me, Sakura, Temari, Shika, Ino or Asuka. So what do we do now?

We have a missing friend who just recently lost the one he cared about 'cause she's a crazy, drug addicted witch, and that's not a good combination. Hell, for all I know he could be bagging a stripper in the red light district right now, something he doesn't want, I don't want, and no one really wants.

If the idiot really wants to get herpes then so be it. But I heard a car rumbling up from my spot in my car, which was parked out front. It was his moms silver SUV, a sight I wanted to see since she surely has the answers I'm looking for. She pulled into the driveway and got out, but before she made it inside she was greeted by me.

"Oi, momma 'Shina, do you know where the idiot is?" I yelled after her, jogging up to her and meeting her warm smile. She simply shook her head and went to unlock the door to the house. Is she crazy too? She knows I won't take that answer. "Ne, with all due respect, don't play dumb, the idiot already is and I'm not falling for it." She turned around and dropped the smile, just sighing.

Swinging the door open she ushered me into the house where I followed her to the living room. "Sit, Sasuke, and just remember that you're lucky I'm about to tell you this at all." Lucky? What could be so sensitive that my friend, who never kept secrets besides one, wants to keep one now, and his mom is playing along with it too!

What she told me, though, was definitely interesting. "Wait, Naruto _moved_?" I asked, shocked at what she told me, getting a nod as an answer. "So, he moved to be alone, so he can 'process' this by himself?" I should stop asking questions if she's just gonna nod. "But why? He knows we all wanna help him." He's just overreacting, I bet.

Kushina shook her head and took a sip of her tea, setting it on the coffee table. "For once I agree with him, Sasuke." Okay, now I think she really _is_ crazy. She caught my questioning look and sighed. "Look, sometimes there are things that need to be handled for themselves, and this is one of those things." That still leaves a few questions.

I rubbed my eyes a little, gathering my thoughts before speaking. "So he just left without a word, knowing we'd be worried?" Another nod and I'm done asking questions. "I just don't understand, we would've left him alone and-" I was cut off by Kushina's laughter, which bellowed lightly.

Shaking her head she wiped a few tears from her eyes and sighed happily. "Be honest with yourself, you wouldn't have left it alone. He promised he'd text and call you guys, but if he's not texting right now it's because he's on the road." On the road, okay, and to where exactly is the idiot going? "It's in Fire country, I can't say where though."

Of course she can't, then I'd go track him down and beat his ass for doing this. I sighed deeply and ran my fingers through my hair, accepting defeat. "When is he supposed to be back, knowing the idiot he already has plans brewing in his head so you can at least tell me that, right?" I swear this woman nods a lot.

"July fourth is all he said, and he said to be ready. For what, I don't know exactly. Look at the bright side of things though, Sasuke, you can have some time alone with your girlfriend, Ino and Asuka are gonna be busy working since they just got jobs, we have a chance to wind down for a little and start back up anew." She has a point, for once...

We talked for a little while longer before I bowed out, eager to take my information to Sakura back home. I'm surprised she hasn't called me because it shouldn't have taken this long to get Naruto up and ready, if he were here. But he's not, so therein lies the problem. On the drive I mulled it over and little more and came to terms with it. Naruto, for once, has a really good idea.

That and it's hard to argue with a Sannin, let alone Jiraiya. His experience and immense knowledge can't be matched by all of our group put together, and he can kick some major ass, so there's also that.

I just hope the dobe knows what he's doing when it comes to this, I know he has it in him to come up with a plan to fix this hellacious situation he's in. Either that or he's gonna crumble under the pressure and give up, ya never know when it comes to him. Let's hope it's the former and not the latter.

* * *

 _3:00 pm._

"Ne, the idiot did _what_ now?"

That's pretty much the response I was expecting from her, to be honest, followed by the slew of questions that are coming up next. Surely enough they did, and I gave her the same answers that I, myself, got from the woman who knows more than I do right about now.

Sighing I decided to exercise my control over the pink haired woman I call my lover. "Sakura, that's _enough_." I said sternly, grabbing her face and forcing her to look at me, her eyes meeting mine. She tried to squeak out a protest, but I pressed my lips against hers forcefully, making her mumble her protest into my mouth.

I released the kiss, getting a gasp for air from Sakura. "Idiot, you didn't have to kiss me like that to get me to shut up." She said, replenishing the missing air from her lungs and glaring holes into me, getting a few shirt laughs from me.

My laughter trailed off, only getting more heat from the fiery stare I was receiving. "Look, what's done is done, his logic isn't exactly the most sound but I can't completely argue with it right now. You know me, I was _pissed_ at first, but just look at the facts and the reasoning he gave us, and I'm sure he'll give us more details when he gets to, well, wherever he's going." Her glare slowly went away as she made sense of things finally.

Her head lowered a bit, concealing her eyes from me, making it hard for me to notice the pair of tears roll down her face. Before I got the chance to ask her what was wrong she turned to me and just gave me a sad smile. "What's wrong with us, Sasuke-kun? Everything was so fine, and then it just...I don't know." Neither do I, love, neither do I.

I wrapped her in my arms, comforting her as the question she asked swirled in my head, making even me wonder the same thing.

What the hell _was_ wrong with us?

* * *

 **A/N:** Another one bites the dust, no? Next chapter will be up on the fourth of July as I said, I've been dreambigwh11 as always, have a great week or weekend, ja ne!


	26. Prodigal Lover

**A/N:** Much apologies in advance to the people who aren't big fans of music in the story but this is the culmination of what I'm temporarily dubbing the 'Hinata Is Being Stupid And Dumb' saga, so bear with me. The majority of this chapter will be Naruto getting ready to execute his plan, and executing it, and the aftermath. What is the plan? Well, you're just gonna have to read to find out. Please **_review, favorite_** and/or **_follow_** , and enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters besides Asuka and Uwa because...reasons. Nor do I own the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to Oasis and some cooking device, I think it's a Skillet but idk. Meh, oh well.

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _June 7th, 4:30 pm._

I don't know what came over me, but yeah I left and said sayonara to the village for these next days, totaling closer to a month, about four weeks in total if my calculations are correct. Will everyone be pissed? Yeah, probably, but my parents were totally accepting of it, and that's all that matters to me right about now.

As long as I have a home to come back to when I get back I'm happy. I'll have to call Asuka and Ino later on to apologize, I shouldn't have lashed out at them like I did, they don't deserve to be treated that way when all they wanted to do was help. Maybe they'll understand what I mean, though.

They've always seemed like the understanding type of people, fiery sure, but understanding nonetheless. That's not what's on my mind, though, as I smoothly swung my truck into a parking spot at the extended stay hotel I'd be in while I'm down here. Where is here, exactly? Well, it's a place called Mount Myoboku, a small village of a couple of thousand people in a mountainous area of the country of Fire.

For the price I'm paying, which is only two hundred bucks for the month, it's not bad. I get a queen sized bed, free internet, a full sized fridge, microwave, sink, bathroom with a tub and everything, TV and even a small stovetop. So far Mount Myoboku hasn't disappointed me in the slightest.

Just driving into the town I saw the friendly look on peoples faces, getting waves and smiles from all of them. What was I gonna do here? Well...nothing, really. Jiraiya urged me to seek out a man called Fukasaku and his wife, Shima, they're elders of the town, who's knowledge is unmatched by basically anyone else in this village.

Hell, from what the old pervert said he makes it seem like the knowledge they hold goes uncontested by people in the _entire_ country, and that's saying something if it's coming from Jiraiya, who's known for a few things; his pervertedness, his fighting skills and how much he knows about anything you can think of.

If you know the man, he'll go from perv, to wise sage to an engineer in the span of probably fifteen minutes, and that's scary enough from him, let alone a man wiser than him.

Honestly I'll give it a week before I got after the two elders just so I can have some time to set myself up here, get settled, get comfortable and go see the small settlement of, what seemed to me, a lot of elderly people. Sure, there's a few teens here, but most of the people are in their thirties at the least.

In retrospect, I _probably_ shouldn't have brought any weed with me, but before leaving I went and got a couple of ounces of some high, _high_ quality stuff, and hopefully the strength of it will make it last me longer than the regular stuff I smoke. Chances are, I'm gonna need it now more than ever.

Resting my mind has proven to be even harder than normal, ever since Hinata left me it's became difficult to sleep at night. Especially knowing that she could _possibly_ be seeing another man already. But let's forget about that, I have a few phone calls to make and unpacking to do.

But first...gotta get high.

* * *

 _6:00 pm._

Well, at least everyone took it _semi_ -well, the worst was, as I figured, Sasuke and Sakura. They were pissed and annoyed, but shockingly understanding, doesn't mean I didn't get my fair share of them threatening to cause me bodily harm for being a 'knuckleheaded idiot'.

Ino and Asuka were the best, as I figured once more, as they pretty much just blew off the apology and said they understood that right now wasn't the best time for me. They also fully supported the whole 'alone time' idea the pervy sage gave me, the only ones to say so. Well, not that Shika had much of a chance to talk.

When I called him he had his hands full with little baby Asa and Temari, so we didn't talk much. He needs alone time more than I do, and he's getting it. He may not be fully alone since he has everyone with him, but he's getting a break from the circle, a well needed one in my opinion, so he can adjust to having a kid.

Maybe Hinata will catch word of me being gone and celebrate...while she can. I have big plans for the fourth of July, and if they don't change her mind and bring her back to me, then they'll at least show her the truth of her actions, but I'm not gonna get into that right now.

I got my laptop and microphone set up, ready to record the full version of that song and do some more recording while I'm out here. I brought one electric guitar with me and one bass I had, opting to use the drum program I have installed on my laptop to do the drum parts.

Let's not forget the acoustic guitar, which had fresh strings and everything on it. So far, so good, now I have pizza on the way and some music playing in the background.

Kicking my feet up I flicked the TV on, going to the news channel to see what the weather looked like for the week, but I landed right in the middle of a story about a murder investigation, something that isn't rare in Konoha, but in the part of town it was in, right down the road from me? Yeah, I'm a bit curious.

 _"Konoha police are investigating a murder in the suburb of Lilac, a notoriously calm and quiet part of town, of an unidentified man in his late twenties. Authorities suspect that the murder was linked to the victims ties to the now-defunct street gang known as the 'blasters'."_

Huh, well that's strange, the blasters haven't been around since the mid-two thousands, like two thousand and seven. They 'officially' disbanded in twenty ten as far as I've heard, but then again I'm not in the gang scene so I wouldn't know. Still, it seems a bit strange that someone who was in an inactive gang was targeted for being in a gang that no longer exists, at least not in the public eye.

Then again, once a piece of shit, always a piece of shit, amirite? Oh well, it doesn't affect me right now and if it really was a gang thing I'm not worried about my mom or dad being hurt by it. That and momma packs some major heat, she thinks I don't know about the forty five she keeps under her bed but I do.

 _"Sketches of a possible suspect seen in the area by a homeless person were released about an hour ago, and we have them here for you to see. If you have any information on the man in this sketch please inform the Konoha police, and if you see him take caution, he's considered armed and dangerous."_

And the plot thickens, once I saw the sketch it seemed like I knew the person...five foot, seven inches, wore sunglasses...nah, there's no way, I'm sure there's a lot of people who fit that description besides the person I'm thinking of. Besides, he may be a weird guy, but he isn't a _murderer_.

Moving on, it's time to get some work done...

* * *

 _11:45 pm._

I moved my post recording smoke session outside, pulling a chair outside and plopping down into it, setting a song on my phone and lighting up the blunt. I let the THC laden smoke hit my lungs as the song I was listening to helped me float right into the high.

 _How many special people change? How many lives are living strange? Where were you while we were getting high?_

 _Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball, where were you while we were getting high?_

Right now I was just coasting along, mulling things over in my head while thinking about the song I just finished recording. I was happy with the way it turned out, even the heavy part I put at the end. Er, it's not _heavy_ , but it's heavier than the acoustic driven, string music laden three minutes before it.

 _Someday you will find me, caught beneath a landslide, in a champagne supernova in the sky._

 _Someday you will find me, caught beneath a landslide, in a champagne supernova, a champagne supernova in the sky._

This song, for some reason, always helped set the tone for a chill night, and a chill night is what I really need right now..."Hey, do you mind if I hit that?" I heard a soft voice break through the music, startling me and making me drop the device on the ground.

Looking over I saw a small girl, standing just an inch above five foot tall and maybe ninety pounds soaking wet, standing next to me. She had long, flowing blonde hair which was held back by a hair band shaped like a band of leaves, golden in color. She was wearing a pair of light grey sweatpants, a white tank top and mismatched pink and purple socks. Supplemented by her eyes, which were a dull blue, and she looked like a goddess from ancient times.

Fumbling a little bit I picked up the still-lit blunt from the ground, brushing the dirt off of it. "Uh, sure." I said, passing it off to her and watching her hit it, taking a long drag off of it and expelling the smoke from her lungs. She repeated that one more time before passing it back to me.

"Sorry if I startled you, I didn't mean to, but I thought I smelled weed and I haven't smoked in a few days so I thought I'd see if I could smoke with you. I'm Anna, by the way." She said in her smooth and almost monotonous voice, smiling softly at me and sticking her hand out.

I took her hand and shook it, managing a smile back at her. "I'm Naruto, and I don't mind at all, I'm just new to this area." New to the area for only a little bit might I add, but she seems like a cool person to hang out with, maybe she can tell me a little bit about the area so I don't fuck up and go to jail.

She smiled as I shook her hand, walking a few feet down to her room and grabbing a chair, sitting down next to me. "Well, Naruto, if you ever worry about the police around here catching you, don't. There's only ten of them and they all don't care about marijuana at all." Well that's a relief to me. "You were the one singing earlier, right?"

Damn, I didn't know I was being that loud. "Yeah, sorry if I was being a bit loud, I didn't really think about that before recording." Next time I'll get a little craftier, though.

What surprised me was her shaking her head as she took the peace piece from me. "Don't worry about it, the only ones at this hotel are me, you and a couple on the other side of the complex, so there's nothing to fret over. I liked it anyways." I watched her smoke, and it seemed like she's smoked quite a bit before from the way she handled it.

At least there's no worrying about noise, that's another relief. "Wait, there's only four people here?" I mean, it _is_ a small village/town, and there's only thirty six rooms here, but I figured that there would be more than just three rooms occupied.

Nodding her head she blew the smoke out slowly, handing the weed filled cigar over to me. "Yeah, we're a small town so not a lot of people come here. It's quiet and peaceful which is why I don't mind it here, I just wish there were more people my age here. I'm eighteen, so it gets boring easy." I can imagine, I wouldn't live here full time.

Giving her a nod of understanding and a small smile I extinguished the small bit of the blunt left and put the 'roach' in the foil wrapper, pulling out another pre-rolled blunt and lit it. "I feel you, I'm here from Konoha on a vacation of sorts and I'm only eighteen as well. Why are you here though?" My guess is family, it's the only logical one.

She hummed a little to the tune of the music before answering me. "My parents passed when I was little so I'm staying here with my grandparents, but they're away on business so I got a room here for free, a change of scenery if you will." Yeah, that's what I figured.

We talked for a little while longer, mainly about how Konoha is since she's thinking about going to a community college there next summer. I explained the situation I was in to her, because she felt trustworthy enough, and she said she had an idea for me.

Just gotta show up to the tavern down the road at six pm tomorrow.

Whatever it is, I hope it's a good idea, because the one I have right now isn't the best.

* * *

 _June 8th, 6:00 pm._

The tavern I showed up seemed to be shut down, but I heard the sound of music playing inside. Shrugging I stepped inside, being greeted by a room filled with the scent of cigarette and weed smoke. Anna was sitting at a table with two other people, all guys, just chatting and laughing.

She spotted me and waved me over to her, watching as I moved over to the table. "Oi, is this the dude you were talking about last night Anna?" One of the dudes asked the girl, getting a nod from her. "Hmm, he might do. I'm Kyle, and this is Rex, and I'm sure you know Anna." Well, obviously, if she was talking about me.

Kyle stood up and greeted me, shaking my hand firmly. He stood about five foot, ten inches, and he was wearing a basic jeans, shirt and vans outfit. "Nice to meet you, I'm Naruto. May I ask what I might do for you? She didn't explain anything last night." I said, laughing a little bit.

Rex looked over to Anna and punched her arm softly. "Of course she didn't. Well, we're in a band called Theory, I play drums, she plays bass and Kyle plays guitar. She told us a little of your situation and we kinda had an idea for you." I figured she'd tell someone, but I don't really care right about now. Rex was basically a twin of Kyle, same height and everything, expect he was wearing basketball shorts, Nike shoes and a tank top.

They saw the curious look on my face, prompting an explanation from Anna. "Basically we were offered a show at the Konoha Fourth Fest and we need another guitarist and vocalist and we were wondering if you would want to put on a, er, _show_ for the girl who's troubling you." A show? I'll bite.

"What kind of show are we talking about here?" I asked, not liking the smiles that now adorned the faces of the people in this room. I have a feeling I might just like this.

And after they explained it to me, well, Hinata might just wanna watch out.

* * *

 **SHINO-POV  
**

* * *

 _July 4th, 2:00 am._

"Kill...kill again tonight."

"No."

Three times. I've killed again three times already. It's only been almost a month and I've struck again, bringing my body count up to four so far. Except these last three times I was a little bit smarter, not leaving any trace, image or scent of me at the scene. That first time was _too_ close for comfort.

Every day I spent with Uwa meant another day of me losing my sanity piece by gruesome, murdering piece. And the sad part is that I don't care anymore, she makes me feel like I'm something other than a freak, a nerd, someone who sits alone at lunch because he's 'weird'. No, she makes me feel _loved, wanted_ and _cared about_.

And to be honest, that's more than my parents ever did. Maybe I really should've killed my mom that night...no, I couldn't have and I refuse, she may not have been the best mom ever but she carried me in her womb and gave birth to me, and no matter how fucked I was she still fed and clothed me. It's the least I can do, sparing her life.

It was the same scene from the first night, me sitting at my desk and Uwa sitting next to me trying to coax me into doing her will. "Why not, baby? It's been a whole week and a half since your last killing and I'm _bored_." She _stressed_ the word bored in a childish tone, standing up and pacing around my small bedroom. "So...why not?" Would it be ironic if I killed her?

Even I know I couldn't bring myself to do that, ending her would end a piece of me too. "So, you want me to go kill someone just because you're _bored_? You may be eighteen but you're acting like a child right now. Plus you know what day it is." Police activity is always ramped up on this day, it's a party day full of drinking and get togethers.

She wined a little, throwing herself down onto my bed and sighing. "Yeah, but don't you wanna get a little bit of revenge on the people who always exclude you from parties and stuff? I know I would." Fair point, they deserve to suffer like I do, but it's not worth the risk of getting caught.

I snorted a little, typing away on the laptop that was set in front of me, writing down my thoughts. "Tch, you come up with a foolproof plan to get away with it and I'll do it, okay?" Not the right thing to say to her, but oh well. Never challenge a psychopath like Uwa or me.

* * *

 _3:45 am._

Case in point, I find myself in a situation much like the one that started it all. This man was a former blaster as well, and he had gotten pretty shit-faced drunk tonight, so much so to the extent to where he found himself staggering into an alleyway to urinate. Alcohol is a helluva thing, I suppose.

He stood there emptying his bladder onto the ground, his back turned to me, whistling a tune out while the yellow liquid splattered on the ground with a wet sound.

Waiting patiently I saw the perfect moment to strike, when he had just finished and zipped up his pants. I swooped in behind him, driving the dagger into his back and forcing him onto the ground. It was supposed to kill him instantly, breaking his spine, but I missed, making him yelp in pain.

Thinking quickly, before he alerted anyone else, I flipped him over onto his stomach and covered his mouth with my hand. "You pedophiles will never learn, will you? Leave my lover _alone._ " Was the last thing he heard me growl out before I slid the edge of the blade across his throat, splattering the warm, red blood onto my now-black clothes, a wise touch to conceal any hints to my parents that I've gone fully crazy.

It was sickeningly satisfying watching the life leave his eyes, going from panicked and worried to just dull and _dead_. To mark my kill, he got a quick stab through the heart, tearing the cartilage apart and making sure he was completely dead, no chance of living at all.

Since the first killing it's become a trademark of sorts, how I distinguish myself form every other insane murderer in this city. At first I hated it, but now I've garnered a sick kind of satisfaction ending the lives of the scoundrels that still inhabit this village, just like the satisfaction they get from touching Uwa.

Admittedly it wouldn't be so bad if all the men weren't way older than her, but it still wouldn't be a wise thing to do. I felt a pair of warm arms wrap around my chest, hugging me into the hugger. "Mmm, you turn me on _so much_ whenever you kill like that, you know that?" I don't know how, but I do know that it does, apparently.

I felt her mouth latch onto my neck, sucking and kissing on it. "U-Uwa, I don't know what you're doing, but we need to leave this place before the cops or someone else show up and-oh!" I gasped out when she dove her hand down into my pants, wrapping her fingers around my erection, which was supplied by the testosterone from the kill.

Before I knew it she turned me around to face her, her free hand undoing my pants and pulling them down, exposing me to the warm summer air. "Come _on_ , you know you want this baby, look at you, you're _so_ hard." She purred out, pushing me on the chest and making me fall back onto the dead mans corpse.

She wasted no time in getting her pants down and off, throwing her legs over me and straddling me, easing my erect penis right into her. No matter how wrong this was, I couldn't help but moan out in pleasure at the feeling. Soon after she started raising and lowering herself onto me, making an audible popping noise. I tried to shush her, but my efforts were in vain.

No, she got louder, moaning and shaking with pleasure. It was only a matter of time before I joined her in expressing my pleasure audibly. The combined pleasure of the sex and the thrill of the setting made the coitus session rather short, ending with her plopping down onto me hard, moaning through an orgasm while I ejaculated into her.

After the orgasm finished she collapsed down onto me, leaning her head into my chest, huffing and puffing alongside me. "S-Shino-kun, that was _amazing_." I heard her whisper softly into my ear, and I could only nod in agreement. If this became a habit as well, I don't think I would argue with it.

Only then did I realize the mistake we made. " _Shit_ , you realize we just got our DNA on the corpse, right?" She cursed along with me, seeing the error we just committed.

Left with only one option, we quickly got dressed and rushed to the car, procuring the emergency gas can she kept for emergencies and doused the body, specifically around his genital area, and lit his body ablaze.

The flames danced as we shared a passionate kiss before fleeing the scene of the crime, the smell of burning flesh filling the night sky.

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV  
**

* * *

 _July 4th, 3:30 pm._

Today was the day, the day Naruto was set to return to us. He said he'd be back before the fireworks at eleven, but that's all he said he could say. Right now, though, I had to get dressed for mine and Sasuke's date, which was the day at the carnival, something I couldn't wait for.

I loved the carnival at the fairgrounds, it was always filled with nice people, good food, games and the typical little rides they have at these types of events. It was our first real date since the weekend after Naruto left so it's gonna feel good to finally get out, have some fun and not worry about anything.

Well, besides what the blonde idiot has 'planned' for this day, he said he's still gonna go through with it, and he swears it's gonna work, so I _want_ to believe in him, but the lack of details of any kind are making me a bit skeptic of what the man I call my best friend could possibly have in store for tonight, whatever it is.

Something weighed heavy on my mind and that's the serial killer that's been running loose in Konoha, he struck again last night, killing another former gang member by cutting his throat and stabbing him in the heart before setting him on fire, presumably to hide any accidental evidence he left behind. It was unlike any of the other killings he has perpetrated, mainly being he tried stabbing him in the back.

But I shrugged off that thought, turning to the clothes I had set out. I threw on the matching all black bra and panties first before pulling on my light jean booty shorts. Next was the dark blue halter top, which stopped just short of my belly button. The last pieces were my black flip flops, tying my hair into a ponytail and I was set for the day.

Walking out to the living room I met Sasuke there, who was waiting with his arms crossed leaning against the couch. "You ready to head out, princess?" Even after being with each other for a while, my heart fluttered still when he called me princess. I nodded, walking up to him and getting a kiss on the forehead before he took my hand.

We got into his car, departing for the fair and making good time since people didn't really get there until six. Finding parking was relatively easy too, thankfully so.

Sasuke walked over to my side of the car and opened the door for me, ushering me out with his hand. "Thank you, my lovely prince, you look handsome tonight." He really did, wearing a pair of dark jeans, a black button up casual dress shirt and his all black Nike shoes. Handsome, indeed.

He smiled, dipping his head down and planting a kiss onto my hand. "And you look gorgeous, princess. Shall we?" He offered his arm out to me, making me smile as I took the offer, looping my arm in his as we made our way into the fairgrounds, which was decently populated right now.

As much as we tried to avoid the subject, it wouldn't leave our minds though, and the subject is Naruto. "So...what do you think the idiot has up his sleeve?" I asked timidly, not sure if it was right to bring it up on our date. But turns out even Sasuke couldn't get it our of his head.

"I honestly don't know, but I just hope he doesn't embarrass himself, us or his family." True, we wracked our brains but could never settle on any ideas of what he could have came up with. "Do you know any of the bands playing tonight? I heard there was a 'surprise' headliner." There is, and no one knows who.

Some have speculated that it's a big touring act, and some aren't shooting that high, instead going for either a local resurgence or a bigger local act. "Not a single one, I don't even have any idea who the headliner is supposed to be. I'll guess we'll find out at nine fifteen." That's when they were supposed to go on, at least.

In the meantime we made our way through the park, where we played the various little games they had. Sasuke won me this giant pink anime bunny, one of my favorite animals, and it almost melted my heart. Keyword being almost. I held strong until we got on the Ferris Wheel, riding it all the way up until we were hovering over the village, the people looking like ants and the lights melding together.

His arm was wrapped around my shoulder as we hugged together, enjoying the view. "Sakura, I love you." I looked at him weirdly, not because he said I love you, it was just random and he hardly ever uses just my name. "I know I say it a lot, but I've never told you just _how_ much I love you, love." But he hasn't had to, I already know.

My eyes met his, and that's when I realized he was being serious. I saw a look in his eyes that I've only seen a few times, a look of utter infatuation and deep love, deeper than I had ever imagined before. "Sasuke-kun..." I said lightly, a tear welling up from the sheer emotion in the situation.

Before it had a chance to drop, he wiped it away softly. "Sakura-chan, these months we've been together have been the best months of my life, and I wouldn't trade them away for all the gold in the world. You're the reason to get up in the morning for me, and if I ever lost you, a piece of me would surely die as well."

There was no stopping my tears now as he continued on with his sentence. "My heart hurts constantly for Naruto because I know if I were in his situation I'd be losing my mind trying to get you back, which is why I look up to him in some things. He has a heart of steel, something I wish I had. But know this, I make a promise to you."

He got serious, taking my hand in his and grasping it firmly. "If you _ever_ need to talk about something, I don't want you to _ever_ feel afraid to talk to me in fear of making me mad or setting me off. Our love is too strong to just die because of something simple like that, okay?" He asked, setting off thoughts in my head.

 _So close, no matter how far, couldn't be much more from the heart, forever trusting who we are, and nothing else matters._

 _Never opened myself this way, life is ours we live it our way, all these words I don't just say, and nothing else matters._

The words of the song rang true in my head. Everything he's said lines up with it. No matter how far apart we are we're still close, and everything he said couldn't be much more from his heart. He's always trusted in who we are, and _nothing else matters_.

And he hasn't really opened himself up like this, opting to keep his feelings inside. This life is ours and we'll live it how we want, and all these words he isn't just saying, he means them, and _nothing else matters_. "Sasuke-kun...you don't have to keep everything bottled up, you can trust me as well. I love you so much, baby..."

I couldn't hold myself together anymore, leaning into him and burying my face into his chest, letting his shirt catch my tears.

Even though, I wouldn't rather be anywhere besides here right now.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _July 4th, 7:30 pm._

I'm kinda cursing my dad for getting the VIP riser seats right in the middle of the crowd, giving us a good view of the stage from our chairs. Not that I don't like being up here and seeing everything, it just means I can't get that high or else he'll surely notice. So I just turned to taking a mix of painkillers and muscle relaxers.

They did the job well enough for me at least, helping to power me through the day. I actually ate for once and it made me sick, but I held back throwing up for the sake of my dad. Just when I was doing good, today had to happen. I'll make up for it tomorrow though. In the past month I've dropped down to a hundred and five pounds.

For the first time in a long time I'm proud of myself and it feels good, a major confidence booster. But I'm not stopping until I reach the elusive one hundred pounds even mark, that's the goal I've set for myself and I'm sticking to it. Once I hit that, then maybe I'll be completely happy with myself.

But that's a strong maybe. I'm already happy Naruto left, and even though there's not set time for him to come back I'm sure he'll _finally_ move on with this time gone, seeing what the world holds for him without me. He'll see the freedom and all the other girls that'll drop to their knees for him once they hear his lineage and his 'size'.

Lord knows that's enough for most sluts, what does that make me then? I did it for him first, letting him take something from me that I'll never get back, so am I a slut? Meh, I really don't care either way, he's gone, I'm high and the sky is blue, what else is new?

No point in worrying about things that don't matter, right? I made my way over to the edge of the chain link fence that was set up, hiding behind the porta potties and getting my nicotine fix. Sucks that they set the rules making the fairgrounds a smoke free area. "Oi, you can't be smoking here ma'am." I heard a stiff voice say behind me, making me jump and drop my cigarette.

Turning around I saw where the voice came from, which raised my anger. "Han! You scared the shit out of me!" I said, straining the words so that I didn't have to yell, trying not to get caught by any of the security guards.

He just laughed, pulling me in for a hug, a soft and warm one. "Sorry, but you know there's a better place to smoke right? There's a hole in the fence that leads to a wooded area where no one can see. Follow me!" He said, suddenly taking my hand and dragging me off.

I cursed at him, trying not to laugh at the excitement and surprise. I didn't want him to know I was having a good time, lest he get any ideas I don't want him to have.

When we reached the wooded area it was as he said, no one could see in or out really. "You know you could've just asked me to go, you didn't have to _drag_ me here." I said, crossing my arms and staring at him, giving him my best angry glare, which wasn't angry at all.

Instead, we dissolved into laughter, the first real laughter I've had since slapping Naruto. "Sure, but dragging you is so much more fun. Here, I didn't meant to make you drop your cigarette so here's one of mine." He handed the cigarette to me, thankfully the same type I usually smoke.

Lighting it I was relieved when the nicotine hit me, calming my nerves. "You're lucky no one thought you were dragging me off to rape me, then we'd all be screwed since I have pills on me." He knew about my habits, I kinda soiled everything to him a week ago and he, luckily, understood, being a pill popper as well.

His laughter filled my head, swimming around in it. "Well, no, you can't rape the willing though." Huh? His words confused me, the situation getting more tense than before.

My eyes narrowed, looking directly into his. "What do you mean by that, Han?" I asked, getting no answer as he only took a step towards me. I stepped back, getting more distance from the man. "Answer me, or I'll leave and tell someone." I tried to act tough, but as we know that doesn't work for me that good.

However he just smiled, getting closer to me again. "What I mean is this, normally I'd have had sex with you already but you're playing hard to get, and I don't like that. So you've forced my hand here. I'm not gonna rape you, because either you're gonna do it willingly or I'll go tell everyone your secrets, capiche?" He asked, making my body go numb and freeze solid, like a brick wall.

It was like I couldn't speak, I was frozen in anger and fear. "Y-you wouldn't, I'll just tell them about this and you'll go to jail." There's no way he was gonna get away with this on my watch. Looking around, though, I knew I was trapped, and this was gonna happen either way.

He just laughed again, tormenting me with his hearty laugh and his killer smile. "I would so, and you think they're gonna believe a meth head over me? You have no one to help you, either, so comply or I'll have no choice but to force you to comply." He was serious, stone cold serious, and I knew it.

Seeing no other option, I just let a tear fall as I nodded, agreeing to his terms. I sank to me knees in front of him, allowing him to undo his pants and release his cock, which was standing stiffer than a metal pole.

Just as I was about to go through with his demands, I had a change of heart and a boost of confidence. Without a word I reached my hand up like I was going to grab his exposed member, but instead balled my fist and punched as hard as I could in his jewels, bringing to his knees.

He shouted in pain, sinking down as I stood up and kneed him in the face, knocking him onto his back. "You really think imma give up that easy, bitch? Little did you know I had my voice recorder on my phone set since you started dragging me. So try to say something, I _dare_ you." I growled out, stomping him in the face a few times.

When I saw that he was knocked out cold I took off, running back into the fairgrounds trying to hold back tears at what had almost happened. And it was in this moment that I realized something; I miss Naruto, but I fucked that up, and there's no going back.

By the time I cooled off and made it back to the VIP riser the band was about to go on, and the intro music was playing, a chilling woman's voice singing almost operatic.

 _Despair, you come to me, with your poison and your misery._

 _Oh death, you come to sting, with your poison and your misery._

The intro carried on, and soon the members started hitting the stage. Drummer, bassist/keyboardist, cellist and violinist with the guitarist, and then the second guitarist got onstage, and who it was damn near killed me.

He took center stage, right in front of the microphone, his blonde hair longer than usual flowing freely, and he was the man of my dreams and the monster haunting me.

"N-Naruto..."

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _July 4th, 9:15 pm._

Even if I was far away I could see her sitting in the risers, smiling because my plan of giving her father the VIP access tickets worked. The song kicked in as I bobbed my head, letting my golden locks flow freely. We were all dressed in black pants, black dress shoes and white button ups, a classical theme. Then the time to sing came.

 _Death surrounds, my heartbeats slowing down. I won't take this worlds abuse, I won't give up I refuse!_

 _This is what you get when you're bent and broken, this is how it feels when your dignities stolen._

 _When everything you love is leaving, you hold on to what you believe in._

I looked at Hinata, smiling as the words I sang sunk into her, Anna singing the bridge to the song perfectly.

 _The last thing I heard was you whispering goodbye, and then I heard you flat line._

And back to me. The chorus was a representation of me refusing to die, not letting anything she said or do get in my way. I _refuse_ to let our love die, and that's that.

 _No! Not gonna die tonight, we're gonna stand and fight forever._

 _(Don't close your eyes). No! Not gonna die tonight, we're gonna fight for us together._

 _No we're not gonna die tonight!_

The rest of the song went smoothly, and I can see the effect it's having on her already. She's torn, she doesn't know what to do. But what set me off was the dead, broken look she had in her eyes. This next songs for her, then.

 _All I see is shattered pieces, I can't keep it hidden like a secret. (I can't look away), from all the pain in the world we've made._

 _Everyday you need a bulletproof vest, to save yourself from what you could never guess. (Am I safe today?) When I step outside in the wars we wage._

 _Our futures here and now, here comes the countdown._

 _Sound it off, this is our call, rise in revolution! It's our time to change it all, rise in revolution!_

 _Unite, and fight to make a better life. Everybody, one for all, sound off, this is the call._

 _Tonight, we rise, rise!_

Though that song is more of an upper, it had a sadder side to it. Whatever I said rang true in Hinata's heart, as she just looked on with the same sad look she had before. As much as I want to be up there to comfort her, I'm nowhere near being done. We've still got quite a few songs to go, and this next one is one of my favorites.

 _Despite the lies that you're making, your love is mine for the takin'. My love is just waitin' to turn your tears to roses._

I will applaud the showmanship we're showing, at least its a good show for everyone in the crowd, they seem to be digging it. If I saw it correctly there's even a small mosh pit going on down there, especially at the heavy intro to this song.

Whispers In The Dark, I've been looking forward to performing this song, at least I had a good time even if she doesn't change her mind. Then it's back to the drawing board.

 _Despite the lies that you're making, your love is mine for the takin'. My love is just waitin' to turn your tears to roses._

 _I'll be the one that's gonna hold you, I'll be the one that you run to, my love is a burnin' consuming fire._

 _No, you'll never be alone, when darkness comes I'll light the night with stars, hear the whispers in the dark._

 _No, you'll never be alone, when darkness comes you know I'm never far, hear the whispers in the dark._

Twas a bitter love song with a flowing, coaxing symphonic sound to it. This isn't even the ace in the hole, hopefully it doesn't come to that, but if it does, I'm ready.

 _You feel so lonely and ragged, you lay here broken and naked. My love is just waitin' to clothe you in crimson roses._

 _I'll be the one that's gonna find you, I'll be the one that's gonna guide you, my love is a burnin' consuming fire._

Seeing the words click in her head made me feel better as the set continued. We went through Falling Inside The Black, Better Than Drugs and Sick Of It before reaching one of my favorite songs just because of the structure of it. The cello and violin intro mixed with the electronics made it feel big, and the sudden chugging guitar intro just capped it off, before it slowed down for the verse.

 _We have fallen, we have fallen again tonight. Where do we go from here, when they're tearing down our lives?_

 _When all they want is, when all they want is, us to live in fear. How long can we hold on?_

 _Can we hold on? Hold on!_

 _There's somethin' deep inside, that keeps my faith alive, when all you can do is hide from the fear that's deep inside of you._

 _Somethin', somethin', somethin', somethin', somethin', somethin' to hold me close when I don't know._

 _There's somethin' deep inside, that keeps my faith alive._

 _We are healing, but it's killing us inside, can we take a chance when faith and fear collide?_

 _We can make it, step out and take it, we can't live feeling so numb._

 _How long can we hold on?_

 _Can we hold on? Hold on!_

 _There's somethin' deep inside, that keeps my faith alive, when all you can do is hide from the fear that's deep inside of you._

 _Somethin', somethin', somethin', somethin', somethin', somethin' to hold me close when I don't know._

 _There's somethin' deep inside, that keeps my faith alive._

This next part, the piano bridge being played by Anna, gave me chills every time. And the subsequent guitars that came in and chugged out a dark backing tone made it so much better. Collide, what a good song...but now it's time to pull out the big guns. It's time for The Last Night.

Cue piano and guitar intro.

 _You come to me with scars on your wrist, you tell me this will be the last night feeling like this._

 _(I just came to say goodbye, didn't want you to see me cry I'm fine.)._

 _But I know it's a lie!_

 _This is the last night you'll spend alone, look me in the eyes so I know you know, I'm everywhere you want me to be._

 _The last night you'll spend alone, I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go I'm everything you need me to be._

Our eyes met and it was like it used to be, only the emotion she showed has been locked away, hidden behind a cellar door and never to return. Maybe this next verse will work...

 _Your parents say everything is your fault, but they don't know you like I know you they don't know you at all._

 _(I'm so sick of when they say it's just a phase you'll be okay, you're fine.)._

 _But I know it's a lie!_

 _This is the last night you'll spend alone, look me in the eyes so I know you know, I'm everywhere you want me to be._

 _The last night you'll spend alone, I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go I'm everything you need me to be._

It didn't work, and she just reverted back to where she was before, recluse and introverted, apathetic about anything and everything around her. She didn't think I noticed the single tear threatening to roll down her face, but I did. Now I have her where I want her.

Yours To Hold.

 _I see you standing here, but you're so far away. Starving for your attention, you don't even know my name._

 _You're going through so much, but I know that I can be the one to hold you._

 _Everything single day, I find it hard to say I could be yours alone._

 _You will see someday, that all along the way I was yours to hold._

 _I was yours to hold._

The acoustic ballad turned into a slow rock ballad, churning out a slow and bright tune. I have to admit I kind of feel bad for doing this to her at this time, especially like this, in front of her father and sister. She's probably worked up her excuses so well that it hurts to see me tear 'em down.

 _I see you walking by, your hair always hiding your face._

 _I wonder why you've been hurtin', I wish I had someway to say._

 _You're going through so much, don't you know that I can be the one to hold you._

 _Everything single day, I find it hard to say I could be yours alone._

 _You will see someday, that all along the way I was yours to hold._

 _I was yours to hold._

As much as I wish I could literally outstretch my arm towards her I can't because I'd drop the note, and we have a show to finish. We're getting closer by the minute, with only two songs left. Time to end on a soft note.

 _I'm stretching but you're just out of reach_

 _I'm ready when you're ready for me._

The lights went dark on the stage, concealing us from the crowd as a somber and dark section of string music played over the speakers. "Funny, after everything we've been through you'd think _I_ would be _comatose_ by now." I chuckled out, picking each individual string on the guitar, checking to make sure they were all tuned to the right notes.

Anna walked up next to me and gave me a soft smile, a sad one as well. "You'll be okay, Naruto, just know that you did your best in the end, no matter if this ends up having some sort of effect on your beloved." Thanks, Anna, you know how to cheer someone up when they're pissed, annoyed, frustrated, livid, sad, depressed...I can keep going on and on, if need be.

Oh well, time to get back to the music. "We have two songs left for you, Konoha! This is Comatose!" I bellowed out, signaling the start of song. The strings mixed with the guitars well before it all slowed to a piano part, marking the beginning of the verse.

 _I hate feeling like this, I'm so tired of trying to fight this, I'm asleep and all I dream of is waking to you!_

 _Tell me that you will listen, your touch is what I'm missin', and the more I hide I realize I'm slowly losing you._

 _Comatose, I'll never wake up without an overdose, of you!_

Finally I get to exaggerate the words while pointing at someone, that someone being Hinata. Don't know if she took it well, the lights have that effect on you.

 _I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe, 'less I feel you next to me, you take the pain I feel. (Waking up to you never felt so real.)._

 _I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna dream, 'cause my dreams don't comfort me the way you make me feel. (Waking up to you never felt so real.)._

My lord this song actually had an effect on her. She's actually crying and showing weakness. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all...

 _I hate living without you, dead wrong to ever doubt you, and my demons lay in waiting, tempting me away._

 _Oh how I adore you, oh how I thirst for you, oh how I need you._

 _Comatose, I'll never wake up without an overdose, of you!_

 _I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe, 'less I feel you next to me, you take the pain I feel. (Waking up to you never felt so real.)._

 _I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna dream, 'cause my dreams don't comfort me the way you make me feel. (Waking up to you never felt so real.)._

Now, I'm not sure who originally wrote this song, but there are so many 'I's in it that it's _kinda_ becoming a bit ridiculous. Nevertheless, push on!

 _Breathing life, waking up, my eyes open up._

 _Comatose, I'll never wake up without an overdose, of you!_

 _I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe, 'less I feel you next to me, you take the pain I feel. (Waking up to you never felt so real.)._

 _I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna dream, 'cause my dreams don't comfort me the way you make me feel. (Waking up to you never felt so real.)._

 _Oh how I adore you, waking up to you never felt so real. Oh how I thirst for you, waking up to you never felt so real. Oh how I adore you-Oh!_

 _The way you make me feel._ _(Waking up to you never felt so real.)._

Alright, I admit it, it's bittersweet seeing this come to and end for real. After this last song we'll be done and Kyle, Rex and Anna will be headed back to Myoboku to live their lives the way they were raised. I'll miss 'em, that's for sure. Ma and Pa too, they were so supportive of our little idea even though I know they had their doubts.

Without any warning I took a deep breath in and yelled out the name of the last song. "Rebirthing!" On that cue, the strings kicked in, followed shortly by the guitars, which led to my vocals, kicking off the first verse.

 _I lie here paralytic inside this soul, screaming for you till my throat is numb._

 _I wanna break out, I need a way out, I don't believe that it's gotta be this way._

 _The worst is the waiting, in this womb I'm suffocating._

 _Feel your presence filling up my lungs with oxygen, I take you in, I've died._

Everything welled up inside of me, scratching to get out, and I, being a good man, let it out in the form of this chorus.

 _Rebirthing now! I wanna live for love, wanna live for you and me. (Breath for the first time now, I come alive somehow.)._

 _Rebirthing now! I wanna live my life, wanna give you everything._ _(Breath for the first time now, I come alive somehow.)._

 _Right now! Right now!_

The chorus, no, the _entire_ song encapsulated how I felt about this. Our love needs a rebirthing, and I won't stop until I see to it that it does.

 _I lie here lifeless in this cocoon, shedding my skin 'cause I'm ready to._

 _I wanna break out, I found a way out, I don't believe that it's gotta be this way._

 _The worst is the waiting, in this womb I'm suffocating._

 _Feel your presence filling up my lungs with oxygen, I take you in, I've died._

 _Rebirthing now! I wanna live for love, wanna live for you and me. (Breath for the first time now, I come alive somehow.)._

 _Rebirthing now! I wanna live my life, wanna give you everything._ _(Breath for the first time now, I come alive somehow.)._

 _(I come alive somehow.)_

There was little time in between the verse and chorus, my vision losing track of Hinata in the lights and commotion. What's sad is I don't care.

 _Tell me when I'm gonna live again, tell me when this fear will end._

 _(Tell me I'm gonna feel inside, tell me when I'll feel alive.).  
_

My fingers blazed through a solo without a second thought, the adrenaline pumping and the energy picking up again. It's down to one last bridge/chorus/outro.

 _Tell me when I'm gonna live again, tell me when this fear will end._

 _Tell me I'm gonna feel inside, tell me when I'll feel alive._

 _Rebirthing now! I wanna live for love, wanna live for you and me. (Breath for the first time now, I come alive somehow.)._

 _Rebirthing now! I wanna live my life, wanna give you everything._ _(Breath for the first time now, I come alive somehow.)._

 _(I come alive somehow.)_

Here we go.

 _Right now! (I come al_ _ive somehow.)._

 _Right now! (I come alive somehow.)._

And with a blast of the guitars and drums it was all over.

I don't know if it worked or not, but all I know is tonight was one helluva night.

* * *

 _10:45._

The last time I saw her she was bobbing through the crowd going for the exit. I made chase as much as I could, beating off anyone who stood in my way. "Hinata!" I yelled after her, watching the dark haired woman duck through a hole in the fence and diving into the woods.

Did she really think I'd give up that easy? I followed her into the woods and kept up with her. We finally stopped at a clearing when there was no usable exit. Effectively, she was trapped in the woods with me, the man who just played a whole hour and fifteen minute set for the sole reason of winning her back.

Her back was turned to me, and her shoulders gently shook, indicating that she was crying. I took a small step towards her before she turned around quickly and faced me, and what I saw hurt me more than the day she left me.

She had tears rapidly spilling down her face silently as inaudible sobs wracked her body, she's lost weight and I can tell it was unhealthily so, her eyes were sunk it, dark bags under them. Her normal, lavender eyes were no longer warm, they held a cold, dead stare in them. She's been through hell, I can tell that much, and I'm just here to make it more worse than just earlier tonight.

I saw her legs shake as she made a step towards me. "N-Naru..." As if I wasn't already broken, her shaky, empty voice muttered out her nickname for me. "I-I'm sorry...for everything...please make...this pain...go away..." She took a step everytime she paused her sentence.

Reaching my arms out I wrapped her in a hug, feeling her cold and broken body against mine. "Hina-hime...I'm here for you..." I said slowly and softly, kissing the crown of her head gently and lovingly.

But her sobs turned into tremors and shakes, and she looked up at me, eyes devoid of anything at all, the tears finally done. "End this pain, Naruto, please, kill the voices, the ones that torment me." Her bony hands reached up and grabbed my wrists, moving my hands down to her neck.

What could I say? All I managed to do was stutter a bit before coming to my senses. "Hime, no, we'll get better, I promise you that. Just come back to me, love, and we can make the voices go away _together_." That's all I had to say to her before the inevitable happened.

As I thought she fully broke down, sobbing openly and letting her tears flow freely, the sounds muted by the fireworks show going on overhead. I shushed her and kissed her head and cheeks, eventually sitting down on the ground and letting her crawl into my lap, where she continued to cry.

She's back, though...it worked, and now...we can go back to where we used to be...

My love is back...it's time to go home...

* * *

 **A/N:** I can't say much this time, so I'm just gonna leave you guys to think about this and where this is gonna go in the future. The next three chapters are gonna be some of the most important ones, so please stay tuned. Ja ne!


	27. Say You Won't Let Go

**A/N:** So this is a hasty decision but I'm ending part two to this story with this chapter and taking another two week hiatus to start part three, the final part to the story, and get my bearings. Right now I have a lot of personal things going on, the main one being moving, starting a second job and selling my vehicle/looking for another one. Why end it here? Because, when chapter twenty eight kicks off part three, it's gonna be a _blast_.

Now I don't like taking breaks, not even in the slightest, opting to push forward and release material for those who read this story week in and week out. But even I know that there is sometimes when I need to take a step back and think things through, not just in my life but for the story. I know I say it a lot but this _does_ mean a lot to me, an item of my imagination that's escaped my head and made it's way to this website, and into your heads, so you can live the story that plays out in my mindscape.

As of when I'm writing this, June 21st 2017, I have this chapter completed and I will begin to work on getting a good queue set up for when part three begins. Chapters 24 through 27 will continue as scheduled, and the short hiatus will begin after this chapter, 27, being released on July 18th 2017. I will then take the next two release dates off to figure this out and resume my weekly postings on a new day, Friday August 4th!

Onto this chapter, the end of the Hinata/Naruto split-up saga is here, Shino will get more character development, Shikamaru get's some time for him and his family and we'll end with the dynamic duo of InoSuka. Now, let's go into the story! Don't forget, please _**review, favorite**_ and _**follow**_ , and as always, enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do NOT own Naruto or any of the characters besides Asuka and now Uwa, almost forgot about her hehe. Nor do I own the lyrics in the first segment, they belong to James Arthur.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _July 5th, 3:30 am._

How did I find myself up in this position? Helplessly cradled by the man I scorned, hit and insulted while I do nothing but cry like the little girl I am inside. Funny, the voice, for some reason, decided not to bug me when I'm with Naruto...ironic, isn't it? Drugs are an afterthought now, to top it off with more irony.

To be honest I'm just lucky my dad hasn't barged in to ask us the thousand questions I'm sure he has. And that's just another thing imma have to deal with now, the cat is out of the bag, he knows I'm obviously sad, and now I have to come clean and face the truth. But I'm not ready to face the truth...

And the truth is _I_ fucked up, _I_ did this to myself, _I_ pushed my boyfriend and my friends away, _I_ made myself go crazy psycho schizo, _I_ put the pipe to my lips and that figurative gun to my head and pulled the trigger, painting the fucking walls with my brains, blood and bone chips. Most importantly, _I_ raped _myself_.

No matter how hard I tried I couldn't help but think of that _asshole_ and cry, I can't blame him, this is _my_ fault, one hundred percent. I led him on, let him think he was getting somewhere with me when I was just using his friendship as a distraction from the other ones I had just recently cut off, I was basically _asking_ for him to try and do something like that, and I can't get that time back.

I honestly didn't know I had this many tears in my body. I cried when Naruto was playing, I cried when he was chasing me down while I tried to run away like I did that month or so ago, I cried when he cornered me, held me, and now I'm crying while he's holding me in my room, singing a song in my ear.

 _I'm so in love with you, and I hope you know. Darling your love is more than worth it's weight in gold._

Yeah, it didn't help that he was singing to me. How he hasn't gotten sick of my tears soaking his shirt is anyone's guess to be honest. He's a real champ.

Another thirty minutes passed and the tears refused to recede and stop their constant escape from my eyes. "Hey, it's ok, let's lay you down okay?" Naruto muttered to me softly, scooping me up in his arms and laying me down on my bed, one where I've done many-a terrible things.

My body trembled as the skin of his fingers danced across my body when he dragged the blanket up and over my body. "N-n-naru, I n-need to ch-cha-change." Although he'll probably see the scars and still fresh cuts lining my skin I don't think I care right now. If he stays after this then I'll give him more credit than before.

He nodded, helping the blanket off me and pulling me to my feet, helping me stand and propping me up. Slowly he walked me over to my dresser and opened my drawers. I silently pointed to what I wanted to wear, a pair of fluffy pajama pants, a big tee shirt and no underwear. I don't need that constriction tonight.

The thumping of my heart rang loudly in my ears as he started tugging my shirt above my head, followed shortly by the removal of my bra. And then the moment of truth came when his hands gripped my pants, unbuttoning them and slowly pulling them down. "Hime..." His breath hitched when he saw what I had created.

Numerous white lines marked my thighs and some still healing red ones contrasted against my pale white skin. "This is what I'm capable of, Naruto..." I muttered out coldly, no emotion present in my voice other than sadness and apathy. To my surprise he dropped down onto his knees and started kissing my scars. "W-wha...what're y-you doing?" I asked him, prompting him to stop and look at me.

His smile that he gave me drove a spike through my heart, like I was a vampire or summin'. "Because, you're my princess, and I'm trying to kiss them better." Was all he said before he continued planting the softest and tiniest of kisses on my legs.

And just when I thought I was done crying they started leaking again. "H-how...how can you still love me after all of this?" It came out more like a whisper, but he picked it up and just ran a hand over my thighs, feeling the bumps in my skin from the self inflicted cuts I burdened myself with.

"Because, I've told you before. I made a promise that I would never leave, and I plan on keeping that promise baby." Please stop...I can't take anymore of this. "When you left, it hurt yes, but I never gave up, and here I am. We'll get through this, Hina-hime, no matter what the cost." There's no stopping it now.

Just let the tears fall down, Hinata, just let them fall.

* * *

 _2:00 pm._

In another ironic twist, that was awkwardly the best nights sleep I had in a long time. It only got worse when I had a mini heart attack when I woke up and Naruto wasn't next to me, turns out he was in the restroom cleaning up and talking to the music group he was with on the phone.

Still I tried to suppress the memories of last night, yet I couldn't, they were still fresh in my mind. "Hey, Hina, you okay?" Naruto asked, breaking me of my train of thought and memories. What did he want me to say? 'Yeah I'm okay, I only dumped you for meth and cutting myself and almost got raped by a boy, but I'm peachy love.'?

I shook a little bit when I felt his hand touch my shoulder. "Ah! Uh, yeah, I'm fine, Naruto..." I don't know how he's acting like nothing never happened, it's like we've gone back to normal. "Naru...how do we recover from this?" I asked, hoping he would have the answer I wanted and needed more than anything right now.

He looked over at me from his spot on my bed and smiled at me. "It'll be easy, Hinata, you just have to answer one serious question for me." He said, prompting me to swing my head and look at him questioningly. "Do you _really_ want this? Me, our friends, our _love_ , do you really want this back?" I...don't know, honestly...

And in an instant my brain buzzed with thoughts, arguments and counter arguments, pros and cons, pretty much weighing my options.

How do you go back to the people you hurt? And why can they take you back so easily? Ino, Asuka, Sakura, Temari, Shikamaru, Sasuke, would they all be so willing to just say 'hey, welcome back!'? I caused everyone so much pain, I'm sure...

If they take me back, I guess I can't say no, can I? Another thing, too, is Naruto and his mom and dad. Surely they must have bitched and lectured Naruto for doing this, and they surely must think that I'm a psycho, schizo, on the fritz-o bitch...oh. Anyhow, yeah, it's the same thing as the others, _if_ they'll take me back.

Now this just leaves me with Naruto and my father. Naruto loves me, I can tell but I find it hard to feel the same way as him right now. It's like I'm stuck in the blue, trying to fight just to get in the grey for even a few minutes. I haven't even dreamt about the white in forever, I know it's leagues away from me, out of sight, _billions_ of light years away in the space of my mind.

Yet still when I look at his face my heart just bursts with happiness and genuine passion. Imagine trying to fight that while telling yourself that it isn't worth having to go back to the pain you were in before. Is it worth it? I can't even answer that for myself, honestly.

But I just looked at him and gave him a fake smile. I know he saw right through it when he frowned, but he leaned in and kissed me on the lips deeply, the first time we've kissed on the lips since we split up. And with that kiss I immediately knew what I wanted; I wanted him, nothing else but him, and I'd be happy.

I sucked in some air when he broke the kiss off, huffing for air. "Y-yes, I-I want a-all o-o-of this b-back." I managed to stutter out, getting a smile from my boyfriend.

Things are looking up, I guess.

* * *

 _July 11th, 8:45 pm._

Even though it had taken a week to get to this level, I finally hung out with the rest of the group again. It felt awkward as fuck, we all just continued on like nothing had really happened at all, except when they decided to catch me up on things, even thought Naruto had already had.

I was putting on the weight I lost, but managed to get a rhythm going where I can keep it down to a better one hundred and fifteen pounds. Along with my trip to the mental health doctor tomorrow, things are getting better, and for the first time in over a month I can say that I'm truly _happy_.

Asa is such a cutie, she's definitely gonna have Temari's hair and Shikamaru's eyes. Things are getting better for them, they decided to just go to the courthouse and have a quick wedding by themselves, which I can understand. From what I've heard from the two Shikamaru just surprised her, he took her with him to 'pay off a traffic ticket' but in reality his mom, dad, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Ino and Asuka were waiting for them, even Asa was there.

Now I wasn't because, well, _reasons_. It was probably a day or two after Naruto brought me back to life and the withdrawals I was having almost killed me, _literally_.

Ino and Asuka have been doing really good, they both work and just rented a small one bedroom apartment for now. They're trying to figure out how to do school and work at the same time, their schedules are three to ten every night, so they'll have to do homework during work. Ino is a cashier and Asuka is a waitress.

Sasuke and Sakura haven't changed much but I can tell they have a new breath of life in their love for each other. That's always a good thing, they deserve the happiness that they've found in each others presence.

Me and Naruto have been working on things, but what's driving me crazy is him treating me like a child or some horrible victim. Honey, I'm a grown woman, er sort of, but still the precipice is that I _will_ be okay. Sure, nothings gonna be the same, but we don't have to act like _everything_ has changed.

Fuck, he won't even so much as _touch_ me sexually, when in contrast to beforehand we were fuckin' like rabbits. Does he not have any idea how that makes me feel? It's like now that I'm back he's afraid the slightest thing will set me off on a tirade like before.

Although I can't exactly blame him for being afraid of me, that slap I gave him did indeed pack a little heat. Nevertheless, it feels good to be working on getting back to where we were in the beginning, and by gods grace we'll take it another step farther tonight.

It's time to remind him exactly who I was and who I still am; a conniving, sadistic seducing bitch. See, he's outside talking to my dad before he flies out to Kumo for a very, _very_ important business meeting with some high execs in the business, leaving me a window to make a move. I stood up from my seat on the bed and rushed into my closet, observing it's contents, especially the ones hidden away in the back left corner.

Quickly I dropped the outfit I was wearing, which was basketball shorts, a shirt and a regular set of underwear, before throwing on some of my best lingerie, including his favorite colors. It was orange with black tracing. I tied my hair into a long ponytail, and then it was time to set the scene.

I rushed into the room, cleaning up the random clothes on the floor and shoving them into the closet and shut the bathroom door. Drawing the blinds was next, followed by lighting my candles I had in the room, turning my lamp light in the corner of the room to low, and setting some music on, some slow and loving tunes.

And honestly I'm quite proud of myself, if this doesn't work then I know somethings wrong with him. Or me, but I'm hoping that it's the former rather than the latter.

While I was waiting for him to make it back to the room I slowly traced a circle around my clit, teasing myself and turning myself on, doing his job for him. Then I heard his footsteps getting closer and closer to me, reaching the door in no time. He turned the handle slowly and creaked the door open. "Hina, you awake?" He asked.

When he made into the room fully, he got his answer, seeing me laying there on the bed in my best, propped up on one elbow while laying on my side, staring at him with my innocent, pleading eyes. I stuck a finger in my mouth, biting it softly. "Ne, how do I look, Naru-kun?" I asked in a teasing voice, stressing each word with more teasing.

Letting the finger slip out of my mouth I trailed it down my body, tugging gently on my panties. "Uh, you look _great_ , b-but are you sure-" Okay, I've had enough of him doing this to me. I'm fucking sure of this, dumbass, why do you think I'm doing this?

"Yeah, I'm _sure_ , Naruto-kun. It's been _soooo_ long since you've touched me that I've almost forgot how it feels to feel you _inside_ of me." I could see the internal war going on in his head, and went in for the kill. "Look, my boobs are _soooo_ soft and _squishy_." I accentuated that by moving my hand to squeeze one, biting my lip and glaring at him.

C'mon, you know you wanna, just a little bit more, and..."Fuck it." Ha, I win! He rushed in and laid a kiss down onto my lips, pressing into me and placing one hand on my shoulder, the other cradling the back of my neck. This kiss was unlike some of the ones we've shared recently, it sent my brain into a manic and total disarray.

He seemed to be enjoying this, engaging in a hot and steamy thirty minute make out session with me before either of us moved it forward, that person being me, naturally. I stood up and grabbed the front of his shirt, flipping around and shoving him down onto the bed. "It's time _I_ took control, love." I purred out, taking his shoes off and slowly unbuttoning his jeans, sliding them off and tossing them aside.

His rock hard cock was pressing against his boxers harder than I've ever seen it before. Has he been waiting for me to do this or what? Bah, whatever, it's time to get down to business, starting with getting these boxers off. Once I did, I eyed his member and licked my lips, like a lion thirsty for a gazelle.

Such as a lion does, I pounced quickly, rapidly dropping to my knees, licking up and down his shaft and head and sucking on his balls like a ravaging, hungry wolf. He showed his approval with his small, manly groans and moans. With my strong hand I gripped his shaft at the base firmly, putting his tip in my mouth and bobbing up and down.

Simultaneously my hand went up and down, following the rhythm of my mouth, jerking him off and sucking him off at the same time. It was the best I could do right about now, and it was working for me and him, the feeling of his eight inch rod in my mouth satisfying my undying hunger for the intimate touches we shared once upon a time.

Removing my hand after a few minutes I allowed myself to go down further. Little did he know, I had a ten inch dildo that I've been using to practice for the past month.

This was brought on by me almost choking on my six inch one, so it surprised him when I took all eight inched in my mouth and down my throat, holding it there for a good fifteen seconds before removing it, breathing in air slowly and filling my lungs with oxygen before getting back at it, repeating the process a few times to get the hang of it.

Once I did I started bobbing up and down, going deep in my bobs and pulling back up, maybe seven inches down, gripping the base of his length with a circled pointer and thumb, occasionally running it up his length on my come-up movement.

Needless to say, he was in heaven, even more so when he unexpectedly released himself, filling my mouth with easily the biggest load he's ever given me. He looked at me with an apologetic look, but I just swallowed every last drop with a big gulp and smiled at him, showing him my empty mouth, a shocked look replacing the one from before.

I wasn't done, removing my panties slowly and exposing my pussy, which was dripping wet and throbbing in excitement. I threw my legs over his hips, mounting him and teasing the tip of his cock with my entrance. Moaning, I lowered myself onto him, burying all of him in me with a satisfied and pleasured moan.

Grunting along with my moans he thrust his hips up while I went down on his member, making a loud popping noise and crashing into me at a high speed. The intensity of his motions and mine mixing together made for an extreme wave of pleasure hitting both of us, my insides tightening around his.

They have been begging for this just as much as I'm sure he's longed for the touch of me. I wonder if he's been with any other women while we were split? No, let's not get on that topic right now, lets focus on the task at hand. My hips came crashing down on his with a thunderous clap, wet from our sweat and my juices leaking out, spilling all over his and my thighs.

Our peaks came together ten minutes later, prompting me to lean into his ear and whisper. "Cum inside me, baby, I want to feel your hot cum fill me up." I whispered in his ear in a sultry and sexy voice. Unsurprisingly he did as I said, and with a few more pumps we hit that level of pure bliss.

My legs shook and trembled as I let out a cry of pure ecstasy, an orgasm bulldozing through my body at the same time as his did. I relished the feeling of his hot and fresh seed flowing into my pussy, quickly filling me up to the brim, a little of it spilling out of me.

I reached a hand down there and scooped it up with my fingers and stuffed it into my mouth, eating it up with a smile. Repeating this I got all of the almost-wasted cum and finished it off, before rotating and turning my back to him. "You like the view, baby?" I asked, shaking my ass a little bit, wiggling his cock in between my cheeks.

"Y-yeah, you're so s-sexy baby girl." Was all he managed to mutter out before he helped me line his dick up with my back door. Once we did I repeated my earlier actions, slowly lowering myself down onto it until it was fully inside of me, filling my ass with him.

The tightness of it made him groan as it slid all the way in. Within a few seconds I started my motions, bouncing my hips up and down and slamming his cock into me, making even me moan at the feeling of it. He reached up and grabbed my ponytail, pulling back on it and slapping my ass hard.

This set me off, making me go as hard as I can, pounding my hips down onto him, the sounds of our sex filling the room as the slow and ominous sludge metal I put on in the background moved us on and on. He doesn't really like it all that much and neither did I until I discovered it a couple of weeks ago. Now it's my go-to sexy time music.

Fury Whip by Crowbar, that's the song that was playing now, and it's departure from the aforementioned slowness and entering into the faster hardcore area fit the scene of me ramming his cock into me forcefully just that much better, at least for me, it was easy to set a rhythm to.

He moved a hand to my bra strap and popped it open, sliding the straps off my shoulder and freeing my D cups, letting them bounce and swing freely with my thrusts.

It took him long enough, honestly, and he followed that by cupping both of them and pinching my nipples and squeezing them roughly. The pain was good, driving the feeling of pleasure up and building another orgasm for me, which was about to hit.

A few minutes later it did, making me pause, my asshole clinching and unclenching as it hit me, the action of that bringing Naruto to his third and final orgasm. He pumped his semen into me, once more filling me up with his tasty white cum. I collapsed off of him and onto the bed, laying on my side while huffing and puffing, satisfied with our actions of pure and unfiltered coitus.

All I know is, this meant we could have some awesome post-sex cuddles.

* * *

 _July 18th, 3:00 pm._

My trip to the psychiatrist went surprisingly well, mainly 'cause I was finally sexually fulfilled, my withdrawals were finally ceasing to exist, things no longer felt awkward, and overall things were looking really good. I explained what happened the night of the fourth, and while he was pissed, he stayed calm. A few days later Han got locked up, thus ending that chapter of my life.

Turns out he was a blaster as well...small world, isn't it? Yeah, not fun, but it is a small world, indeed. How are things looking right now? Well, they're looking good, the little bit of awkwardness with Sasuke, Sakura and everyone else is gone and Naruto is taking me on a date right now.

It was his idea for the date, but my idea for the time. Why this time? Well that's simple; no one goes to the movies at three in the afternoon. Wink, wink. I don't think my clueless blonde headed man has any idea why I picked this time or the movie, a sappy love story that no one wants to see anyways besides girls.

Nevertheless when we walked into the theatre we saw that there was literally _no one_ here besides us. Perfect, honestly. We made our way to the tippy top and sat right in the middle where we can try to be inconspicuous should anyone attempt to walk in here or if anyone actually does.

"Man it's dead in here, but I heard this movie is pretty good." Naruto said, taking a seat to my left and setting the popcorn down in his lap and his drink in the cup holder.

True, it _is_ supposed to be a good love story, and I don't doubt it, maybe it'll be good enough to rekindle some of our actual love. "Yeah, it's a sappy one but I heard it's got a good plotline and the acting is really good in it supposedly." I said, formulating my plan in my head.

So far it was going good, I relaxed myself by taking some of my muscle relaxers the doctor gave me. Shouldn't have pulled a muscle trying to move a dresser by myself, but I'm not complaining in hindsight. Also, the pot brownies we ate before helped, so there's always that. I was leaned back in my theatre seat enjoying the cinematic show that was playing out before us.

Neko, a cat loving samurai, go figure, has always been involved in the feudal wars but when the wars end it's time to settle down. Now, she's not accustomed to being able to roam and love freely, so she's hopping into the dating scene completely blind and a virgin to everything.

Enter Sho, an ex-samurai turned diplomat who runs into her, literally, at a market in town, which was now thriving with business. Then ensues his chasing of her heart, she beats him down and tells him no, she's a lone wolf, etc., you know how that goes right about now. Well, as usual, in the end everything worked out well.

She ends up warming up to him, falling head over heels and they shared a passionate and cinematically elongated kiss in the rain, cliché as fuck but it does the job, and the movie will round out in the next thirty minutes with the wedding. Time for me to spring into action, ne?

I took my hand and set it down on his thigh, close to where his cock would be, feeling his leg twitch. I have a feeling he knows what's coming next. Biting my lip I slowly and methodically rubbed his thigh, formulating words to speak. "Mm, seeing those two kiss like that has me a little _excited_ , baby." I muttered in a low voice, feeling his member rise to hardness, hitting full on boner soon after.

He wanted to speak but didn't, allowing me to continue my work on him. I wrapped my hand around the outline of his cock, rubbing it through his jeans and feeling the rising pressure on the material. It's time to get serious though, no more playing around.

Sliding my hand up I undid the button on his pants, relieving just a little bit of the pressure he was feeling. More relief came when I took down the zipper and, with his help, pulled down the front of his jeans a little. There his rock hard member stood, behind a pair of boxer briefs, the outline threatening to tear through at any moment.

Wasting little time I stuck a finger under the waistband of his underwear and tugged slowly, releasing the hold they had on his erection, which lunged out with force. Licking my lips I had my target in sight and I was ready to feast. I acted on this by opening my mouth and lowering myself, wrapping my lips around his shaft.

No matter how many times I did it, the feeling of his girth in my mouth and his length going down my throat always turned me on like a faucet, and all I was wearing today was a summer dress, something simple, and _no_ panties. Yeah, ya girl came prepared today, son.

But here I was, going down, and up, on my boyfriends cock in an empty theatre at four thirty in the afternoon, what a life. And honestly, it does thrill me quite a bit, we've never had public sex before. But that changes right now.

Standing up I walked in front of Naruto and faced my back to him. He went to question me until I pulled up my dress revealing my pantiless bottom and my thighs, which were moist from the juices I was leaking. In that moment, he knew what I was about to do and prepared himself for it.

I backed up a little and sat down in his lap, his cock going between my thighs and lining up with my pussy perfectly, penetrating it and going as deep as it could. We both moaned at the feeling, trying to keep it down as much as we could. I whimpered a little bit as I began rocking my hips back and forth, causing the friction between my walls and his cock, creating the pleasurable feeling.

Occasionally I would raise my ass up a a few inches, but I couldn't go too high or we'd make that popping sound I'm trying to avoid. But I don't know where he's gonna cum.

Eventually I made up his mind for him, hammering my hips down onto him and pushing down as hard as I could. "Fill my pussy with your cum, baby." I moaned out while he lost control, exploding into me and spilling his seed into my pussy like I commanded.

One last thing to do now. I stood up and pulled the front of my dress up, stuck my fingers in myself and scooped the tasty, white goodness out, licking it off my fingers with an audible slurp.

Round two, maybe?

* * *

 **SHINO-POV  
**

* * *

 _July 19th, 2:50 am._

"Please, d-don't do this, I'm-I'm sorry for what I've done! Wait, no! No-urk!"

My thirst for blood has yet to cease to exist, as my body count gets higher and higher, close to the twenties now, the police get more and more worried about the serial killer known only as the Konoha Ripper. A nice name, for once, better than the insults my 'friends' give me everyday. But soon enough...

No, I mustn't think like that right now...this mans death is still fresh on the brain, he was a particularly feisty one that put up a good fight, breaking my nose and forcing me to subdue and subsequently tie him to a pole in the alley he was murdered in. His pleas for mercy did nothing to me before I rammed the dagger into his heart.

Quickly the life force he once held drained from his body, evacuating and leaving him a lifeless corpse tied to a pole, blood spilling from the wound and also from the corners of his mouth. I cleaned my blood off of his forehead which he used to shatter my nose and stuffed the rag and sheathed dagger into my cloak pocket before exiting, leaving the scene behind and racing home.

As usual, Uwa was there just waiting for me to get home. It was a vicious cycle of plot, murder, have sex with Uwa, repeat as many times as possible. My parents have been asking weird questions, but I'm good at dodging them and retreating to my room. "Hey baby, how did it go-oh man, he broke your nose?" She said, seeing my injury.

I nodded, grimacing when she gently touched it. "Yeah, he put up a decent fight, but you already know that I won in the end." At that she nodded, smiling and giving me the gentlest of kisses on the lips. Her lips were like a feather landing on me, but held the force of a minute long passionate kiss.

With a grunt I ended the kiss after a few long seconds, making her frown. "So...you don't wanna have a little _fun_ tonight?" Surprisingly no, no I don't. I just shook my head, deepening the frown on Uwa's face. "Oh...I can understand, that nose must be killing you. Let's fix it though, huh?" Do I trust her to do this? Somehow, yeah.

Thunder rumbled outside as she sat me down on the chair and grabbed her bag, fetching a small bag with a brown powder in it and a needle. "Uwa, is this what I think this is?" I asked, worried about what she was about to do to me. When she shook her head she saw the panic on my face and shushed me.

"Look, I'm not gonna give you a lot, and I know you hate needles, but smoking it is a waste and forget snorting it." Sighing she made a good point, so I bit my lip and laid in wait, closing my eyes and anticipating the needle hitting my arm. I listened as she cooked up the drugs and took them into the syringe. When the needle hit me I could barely feel it, but in a second it was over, and the effects came on strong.

Sedated I laid back in the chair as she rapidly snapped my nose back into position. I hissed in pain but it only lasted a minute before the pain went away. "Ugh, Uwa, _never_ do that again. It hurt like a bitch." I managed to slur out in my sedated mess.

Her giggles filled my ears as she wrapped her arms around me from behind, pulling me into her. "Hehe, okay baby, but it feels better don't it?" As much as it hurt...yeah, it felt a lot better than before, drawing a nod from me. "See, you should trust me sometimes, love. I know what I'm doing." That she does, indeed, as scary as it is.

Which begged a question from me, one I never asked before. "Uwa-hime, where and why did you learn all of this stuff?" Why I hadn't asked this yet is unknown even to me.

Her face hardened before softening again as she thought over her next words. "Honey...let's just say I had a rough childhood." She knew I wasn't content with that answer and sighed, continuing. "Okay, so when I was a child, maybe six, my uncle, who's name I _won't_ speak, liked to, er, _abuse_ me. Sexually, mainly." Good thing she won't say.

She continued on, taking a seat in a chair in my room. "He continued this and always told me if I said anything he'd kill me, so I kept my mouth shut until I turned fifteen, that's when I turned to my dad and told him the truth. At first he seemed mad at my uncle, but he ended being mad at...me...and then he did the same thing to me, doing this for a few months." Well how do you know how to heal people?

"Now I know how to heal people because I've done it to myself, especially broken noses and dislocated fingers. My uncle and dad continued this until I turned sixteen, when they both tried to rape me at the same time, so I killed them and fed them to a group of pigs. Fascinating, it was." For the first time ever, I saw her shed a tear, a lone tear.

But that tear spoke more than anything she was about to say. "So my mom kicked me out when she found out the truth, making me turn to prostitution and doing hard drugs to escape the pain I felt. But when I met you, I knew I found the one for me. Now we can hand out vengeance, _together_." Together...

I hid my face in thought for a few minutes before I looked up and smiled at the emotionally distressed woman. "Together...that sounds like a plan to me, doesn't it?" Her smile returned, rewarming my heart and melting me into her hands.

And then her face got serious again, turning the tide of emotions. "Now it's time to talk about what's coming up. You know what it is, right?" Yeah, I remember, not that I want to but I do...why do we need to talk about it when I'm high, though...

"Yeah, I know...not that I wanna do this, but this is something that needs to be done."

"They'll pay, Shino-kun, they'll _all_ pay, every last-"

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV**

* * *

 _July 29th, 4:45 pm._

Well, that was the last of the little bit we needed to move over here, and lemme say that it feels...strange. Being in a house that I will call my own for the foreseeable future has a certain feel to it, and to me it's a weird one indeed, but it's one that I know I'll grow to love.

All the furniture was here, lights were on, gas was on, central air was blowing to cool off this oven that it had became, and the kitchen was being stocked by Temari who wanted to feel useful. Not like I was gonna argue, when she says something like that you just let her do it, hell she even thanks me for letting her do something, and that isn't something that happens everyday.

So yeah it came at a surprise to me when she told me thank you one day, and then I turned and looked at her and she said 'thanks for letting me help'. Now, normally _I'd_ be saying thanks for the help, but the bloody woman went and flipped the script on me, making me question the meaning of life.

And I wondered about it for a while until I saw my beautiful, almost two month old daughter smiling back up at me. Asa has brought me nothing but happiness in my life and brought me closer to my lover and my wife, so how can I complain? Sure, the staying up late thing sucks, and diapers suck, but is that any reason to hate a child?

Not when we all did the same thing to our moms and dads and they took care of it for us, so it's only natural that we, in turn, do the same thing with the children that we have created in a sweat haze of sex and lust. Not the sinful lust, the kind of lust where you look at someone and love them so much you want to express that love intensely.

It just so happens that the most intense way to express love to someone is in the midst of coitus, the act of sex. Why is it this way? I don't know, ask someone who cares about the stupid things like that. It isn't me, at least not right now, I have more things and people to care for and a family to start.

What a great way to start, too. I looked over at Temari, who was holding and rocking Asa on the couch in the living room, and just smiled. She started singing to her just a little bit while bottle feeding her, which just made me smile even more. It's the purest smile I could conjure right now, and it's one I hope I never let go of, not in this life nor the next life if there is one.

One thing did bother me, and that is whether or not this job was meant for me. Not the parenting job, the internship, and while I know I literally need this job, and without it there's no way I'd have this house, but sometimes I don't think I'll make it. Sighing I walked over to the couch and plopped down next to Temari, leaning my head back.

Closing my eyes I sighed a little bit, prompting Temari to ask me the question I knew she would. "Shika, is everything okay love?" Normally I'd lie and say yeah, but this isn't the time to lie, now is when we need to be one hundred percent honest with each other, not holding anything back at all.

Sighing again I sat up and began explaining everything to her. "I just don't want this to end badly, but I&T isn't something I see myself doing for long. Maybe I'll just transfer into a different division once-" That was as far as I got before Temari cut me off by clearing her throat loudly.

"Ne, we _all_ have faith in you, Shika, and even if we were still at your parents house until school ended I'd still love you. So quit your moaning and pep the hell up, if you ever start to fall we'll be here to catch you, so don't fear _anything_." The look she wore on her face, man...it was so full of desire, determination, effort and the most important one.

Love. Love for me, for Asa, for this house that we'll build from the ground up. Not the actual house, but _our_ house, _our_ family, which goes farther than just me, Asa and Her.

I'm talking Sasuke and Sakura, who will undoubtedly build their own family soon enough. Hinata and Naruto, who although recently split and reunited hold a love unmatched by anything for each other, and they'll go far as well. Ino and Asuka, even though they have baggage and issued they're two of the strongest people I've ever met before and probably will _ever_ meet in my lifetime.

All in all, I'm proud of the family we have. Throw in Rasa, Karura, Kankuro, Gaara, Minato, Kushina, Mikoto, Fugaku, Hiashi and Hanabi and it rounds out to a fucked up and sometimes dysfunctional family, but it's one I can say I'd be glad to call my own in my own way.

We'll always have my mom and dad too, so there's that lifeline if we ever feel the need to fall back on them. My mom will drop everything and help in a heartbeat, and my dad will act like he's too lazy or disinterested but he'll do it no matter what anyways. Look how he acted when I broke the law and got locked up.

A knock sounded on the door, and I can only imagine who that is. Temari went to get up but I put a hand on her leg and just smiled, quickly kissing her. I stood up, making my way to the door and swinging it open.

To say I was surprised to see who it was is a brutal understatement. "So this is the house they gave you, huh punk? You deserve it after what you survived. I'd say." My hand gripped into a fist on the door handle seeing the purple haired girl standing at the door.

Thankfully she wasn't alone, at least not this time. "Anko, shut up, we're not here to torture the kid anymore, we're here to congratulate him. Let me start since you're a rude bitch. Congrats, Mr. Nara, can we come in? We must talk about something important." Huh, at least _someone_ has a little brutal honesty.

I chuckled a little bit and opened the door all the way, allowing them in. "Thanks, Mr. Morino, and I guess I have to thank you too, Anko. Though I'd stay away from my wife right now, she's a bit _protective_." I said, stretching the last word as a warning to the aforementioned 'rude bitch', as Ibiki puts it. Admittedly I rather like that description.

What is it that they say, if it ain't broke don't break it? Yeah, well if her description isn't broke, I sure as hell ain't planning on breaking it. Anko just sneered a little but made her way inside as well, stepping into the living room and taking a seat on the loveseat with Ibiki.

After a few tense minutes of staring between the two women in the room someone had to break the silence, and unfortunately it was Anko. "Look twerp, you will probably _never_ hear me say this again, but I'm _sorry_ things went the way they did, but understand that I _was_ doing my job, after all." Wait, she _apologized_?

Ibiki gave me a look that read the same thing, he mustn't have known she was planning this. "Well...yeah I get it, you had a job to do and you did it without question. If I'm honest I actually admire that a little bit." Now _everyone_ was looking at me like I was crazy, including Anko and I swear Asa gave me a strange look right now, if that's even possible for a baby like her to do.

And then the laughter came, from Ibiki and his bellowing, deep laugh, to Temari's little giggle fit and Anko's pseudo cackling. "Okay, I like you already kid, you're full of more surprised than a used needle box." Strangle but acceptable analogy. "Heck, I figured you at least admired my _massive_ -" And that's where we cut her off.

Me, Ibiki and Temari broke into a fake coughing fit, covering up the word she was about to say. "Anko, there's a child in here that doesn't need to know how, er, _blessed_ you are in the bust area. Not like we care anyways, we're all married here besides, naturally, _you_." Damn Ibiki, that's a little cold even for me, and she _tortured_ me.

Nevertheless I laughed at his relentless chops he took at the Anko and her 'blessed chest'. But now it's time to get serious. "So, what's on the agenda for this talk?" I asked, getting a quicker answer than I thought I would and, again, it's not one I wanted.

"Well, normally I&T doesn't do this, but...we kinda need someone's help and your IQ is _insane_. We need you to do a little research on a certain thing." And what exactly is this certain thing, if I may ask, Mr. Morino?

Anko cut in, delivering the topic in a blunt fashion. "We think the Konoha Ripper is someone in your age range, and you know all the kids at Konoha high. Don't pretend like you don't, we know you pay attention to the small details, and you'll have to this time, because we think it's someone you may know." I have a bad feeling about this.

I didn't even get the chance to ask who before Ibiki took control again, clearing his throat. "Shikamaru, we have reason to believe the person who is behind the murderers is none other than...Shino Aburame."

No way...not him...damn it, why do detectives have to be right ninety percent of the time?

This is gonna be _fun_.

* * *

 **INO-POV  
**

* * *

 _July 29th, 8:00 pm._

Work sucks, man. This is partially why I don't envy Shikamaru at all, he's got an even harder job than I do, which is work at this massive gas station selling people cigarettes, gas and whatever they may need. Do you have _any_ idea how many guys repeatedly hit on me even though I tell them I'm not only taken, but also _lesbian_.

It's even weirder when the dudes come up to the register and don't even need condoms but they'll see me and buy a pack of the extra large kind to, in essence, tell me 'hey baby, I have a big dick'. Psh, like I really care, nothing can bring me to my knees like Asuka and her tongue can so I'll stick with that, thank you.

Okay so maybe I'm not _fully_ lesbo, meaning I can still appreciate dick as much as Asuka can too, but it's not what either of us want right now, especially me. After that orgy with Naruto, Hinata and Asuka...yeah let's not go there before I wet my pants at work, and I'm not talking about pissing my pants either. Hint, hint. I think you got it.

Still, I'm just glad I don't work the overnight shift. Sure, it's not a bad area of town at all, and I still drive here even though the gas station's only ten minutes walking distance from out apartment complex, but I've heard the horror stories of the drunks, druggies and douchebags that come in here at night, and those are the kind of people I wanna stay away from.

Right now me and Asuka are looking for peace and we've found it with each other in our little lives we're living. Our love has _never_ been stronger than it is currently, it's so strong it hurts to think about it sometimes, because the feeling overwhelms me and brings tears to my eyes.

Even through shit we've found a way to still be happy, and that's just fucking awesome in my opinion. Smile through the bullshit, celebrate when you reach the top of the mountain you're climbing called life. Tis a simple motto, but its one that I've lived by for these past two or three months, and it's working for me.

I sighed a little happy sigh and leaned my elbows on the counter, smiling softly in my black shoes and socks, tan pants and red polo shirt tucked into it, held to my waist by a thin black belt. "Mmm girl you seem happy, how's life been treating you?" It was Himawa, she's been working here for the past five years and made evening manager easily.

Turning to her I smiled a little bit more, giving her a thumbs up. "Yeah, things have been looking up. Me and Asuka are happier than ever before and we're making plenty of money to cover everything we need. So yeah, things are perfect, to me, right now." They really were, I can't ask for much more.

We talked until eight thirty when she went to use the restroom, right before a customer walked in. "Welcome to KonoGas-Shino?" I began my greeting, cutting it off when I saw who was in my store. He froze, but just waved at me and continued on grabbing his things from the aisles.

But what would he need with lighter fluid, water and an razor blade? Huh, strange but it's whatever. He dropped the items on the counter as I began scanning one by one.

All my attempts at small talk were rebutted by him with short, incomplete answers. It almost seemed like he was ducking my questions, but then again Shino has always been a little weird so I thought nothing of it. Still, razor blades and lighter fluid...I don't know, but I can't make a judgement on him.

I just brushed it off and let him go with a thank you and a come again, returning to my word search I had sitting on the counter. Time passed slowly since business dies down at nine, but soon enough it was ten o'clock and I hollered a goodbye over my shoulder to the new shift that came in to take over for me. They waved to me as I got in the car and cranked it over, making my way home.

* * *

 _10:10 pm._

Ah, home sweet home, there's no other place I'd rather be right now other than wrapped in my lovers arms and watching a good movie. As far as I know we have leftover pizza in the fridge and a half ounce of some dank weed so I think we're good for the night. And both of us are off tomorrow so yeah, we're just fine.

Walking in the door I was greeted with the smell of the aloha breeze air freshener we both loved, the house was clean, lights dimmed, some Crowbar playing softly in the background and my favorite food sitting on the dining table, right along with Asuka, who was wearing her waitress outfit of black shoes and pants, a light blue shirt bearing the company name and her hair tied up in a lazy bun.

To me she looked perfect, and having chicken fried rice and some sweet rolls on the table almost brought a tear to my eye, but I stayed strong and just smiled brightly at my beautiful girlfriend. "Asuka-hime, what's all of this for?" I asked, wondering if it was some special occasion I happened to forget.

She just smiled at me and waved me over to the table, offering me a seat directly across from her, which I took. "Nothing special, I just figured we both could use a nice dinner like this after working our asses off just so we could have this place." That's reason enough for me, honestly, it was pretty tough getting this place.

It's a simple first floor one bedroom, one bath apartment in a good part of town. Our living room had a pair of brown leather couches gifted to us by Mikoto and Fugaku, who just went and got new couches. A TV stand with a forty inch TV on it was in front of the main couch with a DVD player and multiple DVD's on the shelves, topping it off.

On either side of the TV was our pictures with each other and a painting we liked. In the dining room was a basic square wooden dining table with four chairs, the kitchen had a dishwasher, microwave, stove/oven, the usual stuff a kitchen would have, and groceries in the pantry and fridge and the drawers were stocked with utensils.

In the room we had a queen sized bed, no frame but I don't like em anyways, with a bedsheet set that was purple with dark pink hearts all over it. Along with that was my mirror, the closet which had all of our clothes, and a simple bathroom with a sink, toilet and bathtub/shower combo. Again, it's basic but I couldn't ask for much more.

The dinner was amazing, as expected, and we made small talk while we were eating. But something seemed off when we went to the patio we had behind the dining room.

We stepped outside and smoked a cigarette in peace and quiet until Asuka spoke again, drawing my attention to her. "Ino, there's something we really need to talk about, it can't wait any longer." I worried about it, wondering what I did wrong, and then she started sinking to her knee, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks on my chest.

My eyes filled with tears when she reached between her cleavage to grab the ring she kept hidden there. "Asuka...are you..." That was the most I could get out in a mutter before I went silent again, watching her prepare to do what I think she's about to do.

Asuka cleared her throat and began to speak, looking me dead in the eyes at the same time. "Ino Yamanaka, for the longest time I've had my eye on you, and the day me and you got together was the happiest day of my life until this day right here, when I get to ask you the most important question that I have ever asked you." Here it comes. "So, Ino Yamanaka, will you do me the honor of letting me call you my beautiful wife?" An alternative way of saying it, but I get it.

And then my heart just exploded with joy. "Yes! Yes I will, Asuka!" I shouted, tears of joy dripping down my face as I scooped her up off the ground and latched onto her in a tight hug, showering her face and lips with kisses, finishing with an elongated one that lasted for a good thirty seconds.

I broke the kiss with a gasp, the tears finally stopped, and looked Asuka in the face, laughing a little at her chest grin and smiling along with her. She slid the ring onto my left ring finger and kissed my hand.

You know what's gonna happen next, ya perverted bastards, but that's where I take my leave. Ja ne!

* * *

 **A/N:** I've already said as much as I can in the pre-chapter authors note, so I'll keep this one short and sweet. I hope you guys are having an AWESOME summer (for those in the states and other places that are in their summer right now), I thank you guys for sticking tight and reading every week or so, and have a great two week break. I'll be back soon, ja ne!


	28. Fall Down, Never Get Back Up Again

**A/N:** Hiatus has sucked for me, I've not been able to get much writing done because of the eternal shit storm that is my life and I just wanna drink myself under the table while listening to some emo goodies like SKSK or summin' like that. But here is chapter twenty eight, no it doesn't start out with a 'bang' like I promised, because I saved that for number twenty nine ;). Enjoy, drop a review, favorite and follow if you wish, here we go!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do...god damn it y'all get it by now, I don't own Naruto except the obvious OC's, nor do I own the lyrics (something else that should be obvious by now), they belong to La Dispute and Mayday Parade, because they're the musicians and I am just a measly, lonely write that tries to churn this story out for you.

* * *

 **SAKURA-POV  
**

* * *

 _August 6th, 2:45 pm._

Ah, we needed some girl time for sure! Even if it's just me and Hinata it's still good to be out and about with my best friend, who is my best friends girlfriend, who in turn is my boyfriends best friend...god why do things have to get this confusing? Eh, who cares, we're having a pretty good time right now.

Her dad was out on business until later this evening, closer to ten, so we had the house to ourselves since Hanabi left a few minutes ago with Konohamaru. We're all getting ready for this upcoming school year, Hanabi and the young Sarutobi being freshman and me and Hinata being seniors. Seniors! How time has passed man.

Seems like just yesterday we were bullshitting and pissing away time, now we're all getting our shit together, so to speak. Shika is married, Ino and Asuka are engaged, the two couples have their own houses and jobs, and the rest of us are getting there. Needless to say but we're all ecstatic with where we are in our lives and wouldn't trade it away for all the gold in the world.

Even though some of us have had to start from the ground up, like Asuka, and some of us have battled demons, like Hinata, we've persevered to overcome and conquer this.

I guess I have to peg it on our inability to know when to give up and let go. I mean, look at the idiot Naruto, when the lavender lover left him he didn't cry and give up, no, he fought like hell to gain her back and in the end it's worked. Today marks a month since they've been back together and she's happier than ever.

Her medication has been working like a charm, Naruto has been more supportive than ever, her dad was disappointed and upset but nonetheless he showed his support for her and making her feel better. All in all we've all bonded together to strengthen our ties and throw some supports on the roots planted inside of us all.

So now me and Hinata find ourselves up in this position, laid out on her bed with our feet dangling down like a bunch of children and just talking about life. "Yeah, he's been so nice and sweet and has backed me up. Why he ever came back I have no idea but he did, and I can't thank him enough." Well said, Hinata, well said.

And to be honest she has a point when she asked why, because if he didn't have the patience, love and especially smarts he would've just let her slip away, never to return to him or us. "I know how you feel, hun. Have y'all even, yano...?" I trailed the question off, not wanting to straight up ask her if they've fucked yet.

Hinata giggle a little bit and nodded her head giving me an inaudible 'yes'. "Mhmm, even though it took me almost _forcing_ him to do it. He was afraid to touch me after all this went down and was afraid to anger me, but little did the know the lack of sex was the thing that angered me." True that, I don't think I'd ever be able to have a relationship if it didn't have good sex and even better cuddles.

Then out of the blue something just hit me, and it's something I think we _all_ forgot about. "Hey, you know me, you, Sasuke and Naruto never did that little thing we talked 'bout back at the beach house, right?" I don't know why it just hit me, but it did, and instantly a lightbulb went off in our heads.

She looked over at me and grinned madly, and for a moment there I was a bit worried about her but just laughed it off. "Ohhh yeahhh, we didn't at all...are you thinking what I am, 'Kura-chan?" Oh yeah, I definitely _am_ thinking what you're thinking, 'Nata-chan.

For the next two hours we brainstormed ideas to get them to do it, settling on one thing and one thing only. And no, it's _not_ killing Nazi's, whatever that means. Sometimes I can't help but worry about Hinata, but then I remember we're both crazy bitches with crazy ass ideas. Now it's just time to work it right.

One of the things that is a key factor is clothes, so we found ourselves in her closet digging through some of her lingerie. "Why do you have things in my size again? Oh yeah, you held them here for me when I bought them when I lived with my parents and I never came and got them." My parents...it's the first time I've thought about em in a long time, and it hurts...

But it's not the right time considering I'm in my bra and panties with a woman who is _also_ in her bra and panties, sitting in her closet looking at more clothes. I think that I'm finally done growing for now, hitting a good sized 38C, while Hinata stopped at a 36DD. Lucky her, but also unlucky her, it's a double edged sword to be honest.

It was when she dropped her bra that made me feel jealous, as the shape and tone she had on them blew me away. "So, are you gonna stop staring at my tits and help me pick out an outfit or what?" Hinata's voice broke my train of though making me blush and smile a little bit.

"Sorry, it's just been a while since we've seen each other naked and it's astonishing to see how much you've _grown_ since that first time in the sex shop." Ah, good memories.

How could we ever forget that? It was the first time either of us had done anything like that at all considering we were both still virgins to everything except ourselves and we had never even _thought_ about sleeping with another woman, let alone each other.

I heard a happy sigh from Hinata, which was accompanied by a smile of remembrance. "I remember that day like it was yesterday, god how the times have flown since then, all of us have found our own separate love lives. And then there was my first party _ever_ , like I was gonna forget that night anyways even if we didn't sleep together." True.

Admittedly it was weird having her initiate it, but there's no complaints here in the peanut gallery. "No way I'd ever forget that night, it was amazing in so many ways. Kinda insane to think that we're taking this a step further and combining our sex lives, even if it's a temporary one night thing." Swinging is what it's called, I believe.

She settled on a outfit after a few minutes, picking out a lavender lingerie set with black trimming, and sat down right in front of me with her back to me. "Hey 'Suka, can you help me get this bra on? It's a bit tight on me since I grew but it'll still fit, I just need your help latching it." Like I was gonna say no, crazy woman!

Obliging her wish I took the bra from her and slid the straps over her shoulder before running the main strap behind her back, where I found it harder to latch than it really should be. I tried for a few minutes to get the strap to latch, but to no avail. "Hmph, this isn't going anywhere, unless..." I trailed off, getting an idea in my head that just may work, and if it doesn't, it'll at least be fun.

Hinata turned her head back to me and looked at me with a puzzled look. "Wha-oh!" She couldn't even get the whole question out before she realized what my plans were. I let the lacy bra fall off her shoulders before quickly wrapping both of my hands around her tits, squeezing and massaging them gently.

Tiny little moans of pleasure escaped her throat and passed her lips as I continued the motions that were similar to a cat kneading its paws on things. She let out a little yelp when I pinched her nipples, twisting them to either side and rubbing them. "Mm, maybe they needed to be loosened up, don't you agree, 'Nata- _chan_?" I love myself honestly.

All the dark haired woman could do was nod her head and whimper quietly as I reached my head around and kissed the side of her lips, making her turn and lock the kiss in fully. The taste of her lip gloss filled my mouth, a nice cinnamon flavored one, while I worked on 'loosening her up'. But all good things must come to an end, of course.

We broke the kiss and gasped for air, my hands ceasing the motions they once were doing. Hinata huffed a little, trying to get her bearings straight. "I-I think they're loose now, Sakura-chan." She breathed out, laughing a little with me at the moment we just shared.

I picked up the bra from the floor of the closet and slid it back over, finding it easier to latch than last time I tried. "Heh, what do you know, it _actually_ loosened them up." I laughed out, kind of shocked at the fact that what I did worked, but also not really. It's been done before, just seldom and rarely does it work.

She giggle a little bit before standing and sliding on the matching panties. "So what are you gonna wear, 'Kura?" I honestly didn't think about it too much given the situational circumstance, but one thing caught my eye; a black with pink trim and designing lingerie combo.

We put our secret undergarments on and put back on our regular clothes, mine being a pair of light blue jeans and a purple shirt with some flip flops and Hinata's being kind of similar to mine, but she had on some athletic shorts, basically sporty booty shorts, and a bright blue tee shirt that had a chest pocket with a pug wearing sunglasses just hanging out designed to make it look real.

Taking a look in the mirror I spun around, giggling like a little school girl, before something caught my eye on her dresser. It was a small figurine of a tiki doll wielding a big shield and longsword. My hand reached out to touch it before a voice from behind cut me off, making me jump a little.

"It's a gift I got from Neji-nii the last time I saw him around thanksgiving. After he and Tenten moved away for work related things we've lost touch with him." Oh...woops.

My body swiveled to look at the dark haired angel of a woman before me, my face donning a sad smile on it. "Hey, look up doll, you know everything has a reason and what the reason for you two's separation is will be revealed in due time." I spoke some sage-like advice, trying to cheer my friend up.

She just gave me a small smile in return and sat down on her bed, sighing deeply. "I don't know, Sakura, I've messed up with all of you, my parents and Neji-nii before, I'm just afraid I'll mess up again and this time it'll be too much to recover from." Hina...

A low sigh came from me as I took a seat next to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "Look, you know we'll never give up on you, Hinata, and we mean it, _all_ of us mean it. If we didn't want you around we would've given up by now, but we didn't, so here we are, together." I squeezed her into me, donning a meaningful smile.

Hinata sniffled a little bit but embraced me, coming to terms with what I had to say and understanding it. "Yeah...together...it's not something I ever saw happening, but we got here together, didn't we? So it's only natural we keep going together. Thanks, 'Kura-chan." Any time, friend, any time...

I wonder what the boys are up to right now.

* * *

 **NARUTO-POV  
**

* * *

 _August 6th, 3:00 pm._ **  
**

It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for a little bit of fishing. Today just worked out perfectly for me and Sasuke, we get to have some man time and the girls get to do, er, whatever girls do when they have 'girl time'. Unfortunately we already know what those two _will_ do together when alone.

Doesn't mean I'm worried about it, just wish we could be there to witness it with our own eyes. Some part of me _is_ worried about them trying to pull something and force our hands, but if it is what I think it is then I definitely ain't worried about it. Sasuke, maybe, but I don't think the thought has crossed his mind since the beach house.

Either way I'm focused on the task at hand which is catching a fish. We propped up our chairs on the bank of the Senju river in the designated fishing area and cracked open a ice cold...soda, because the police around here are _ridiculously_ cautious and watch-dogs.

We had been here for an hour and so far all we caught was a couple of rainbow trout and some piggy perches, opting to keep the trout and throwing them in the ice chest so they can be cleaned and filleted later on in the day when we were done. Lure fishing is a tedious sport but so far it's gone okay, but now that the evening is setting in the fish should be biting better. Emphasis on _should_.

I looked over as Sasuke yanked his rod up, setting the hook right in the side of the fished mouth. "Shit son, this is a big one!" He said as he fought with the fish that was on his hook. When it surfaced we saw the size and the type, a massive 24 inch rainbow. The sucker must weigh close to fifteen pounds 'cause he's thrashing like no other.

Reeling my line in I set the pole down and helped Sasuke in his attempt to haul in the humongous aquatic species. I grabbed the gaff from the ground and gaffed it in it's gills right when it got close enough. From there I pulled it in and drug in more inshore, far away from the water to prevent a possible escape.

"Damn Sasuke, I'm surprised your line held tight while taking in this damn thing." I whistled in amazement, grabbing the scale and tape measure. Twenty four and a half inch and sixteen pound, four ounce behemoth. It was a real sight to see, hence why we were picturing it.

Some of the other anglers came over and gawked at the impressive haul, congratulating and taking pictures of the intake. "Man I'm sayin', I didn't think the damn thing was coming in any time soon, thanks for gaffing it for me though, I don't think I would've gotten it in without that." I mock saluted the dark haired friend of mine with a smile.

Returning to my pole I lobbed my line and lure back out there, attempting to keep things rolling. "Say, you don't think that it's weird, me and Hinata being this close after all that happened, do you?" Ever since we reconciled and got back together no one would give me a straight answer, but I know Sasuke will. He's, er, _blunt_ sometimes.

Sasuke coughed a little, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Man don't worry about it, if you and her are happy you know we're happy for you." He said before heaving his own rig out there. "Personally I don't think she's gonna mess up again, she loves you too much and I _know_ you love her just as much." Not wrong at all, buddy.

With a shake of my head I agreed with Sasuke's point. "Yeah, I have faith in her, always have, sure there's some doubt lingering but I think we're gonna be just fine." That's the dream, at least. "What say we pack up around seven and head back in? I know the girls will miss us by then and call us anyways." Knowing them, yeah they will.

A laugh escaped Sasuke's mouth as he nodded in agreement with me. "Not a bad idea, then we can go eat and shower off for the day. We can fry these fish tomorrow and chow down." Sounds like a plan, all I can think about right now is catching more fish and relaxing before school starts Monday morning.

My parents are gone for some stupid convention on marriage with the Nara's and they won't be back till tomorrow evening so I have the house all to myself.

Still, Hinata was always on my mind, and no matter how much I tried I couldn't get her out of my head. I constantly think of that night when I saw just how much she was truly hurting and how much I missed out on. Why wasn't she honest with me? Was it so hard that she turned to leaving and essentially starting a whole new life again? All of these questions and no one has answers.

Maybe it's one of those things where I don't want the answer, but I don't know that I don't want the answer. Who knows. She's been on this drug called lithium which has a whole host of side effects, the only one not effecting her is the loss of sexual interest. Doc said it's her age, something about you 'can't beat teenage hormones'. Whatever.

But the loss of appetite, which led to weight loss, drowsiness, the nausea, vomiting, skin paler than usual, it's all hitting her. And the cold feeling she has about an hour or so after taking her pills is the worst according to her, and I kinda don't doubt it, she hardly ever complains about _anything_ , so when she does it's usually pretty damn bad.

It's helping her, though, she sleeps at night now, doesn't crave any drugs besides pot which even then she doesn't fiend for it. Neither do any of us, but that's not really my point right now. Her moods have been happier, less angry, but I kinda...I kinda miss that part of her. She's like a caged bird right now, a happy one, yet caged nonetheless.

Sometimes I just want the old her back, no matter how much she hurt me, threatened to leave me, messed up and relapsed or whatever. She hasn't relapsed in what's about now a month, which is the longest she's gone without withdrawing in forever, even when we _were_ together.

I promised to stay with her no matter what happened and by god imma stick tight to that though, and no one can blame me.

Would they? That's a question for another day.

* * *

 **ASUKA-POV  
**

* * *

 _August 6th, 4:30 pm._

How I got suckered into this is anyone's guess, but I'm here so I might as well do it. I made my way into the shop and looked around before spotting what I was looking for, a black pistol that was behind the case. Things in our area of town have been getting bad and we're not ready to move any time soon, so might as well stock up and prepare.

Who would rob us though? It's not like we have much of anything, we keep to ourselves for the most part and don't fuck with anyone bad anymore. I think Ino is just a little bit paranoid, but then again so am I. We've fought to get here and make our loves stable, so I don't want _anything_ getting in the way of me and out little piece of heaven that me and my fiancée have created.

Getting the device wasn't so hard, both me and Ino took part in the free handgun safety course the village put on in the end of June just incase an instance came up like this and we wanted to purchase a firearm for whatever reason we may possibly have wanted to. Like right now, for instance.

I purchased the weapon and stocked up on rounds, getting four clips total and two hundred rounds. What? If imma buy the damn thing I'm gonna stay stocked and you best bet your ass I _am_ gonna go to the range and shoot it. It wasn't the most expensive one but it wasn't cheap at all. I think the guy thought I was hot and gave me a deal.

Perks of being good looking, I guess. What are the cons? Well, one of them is every manly man in the gun shop staring at me as I buy a gun, practically creaming their pants at the thought of a hot chick shooting a gun. Luckily both me and Ino aren't here or we would give them a little show via kissing.

Honestly at that point I'm convinced they'd literally cum in their pants, which is sad the more that I think about it. Making my way out of the shop I stowed the gun and it's various accessories in the back seat and got in, cranking the engine over and letting the A/C assault me and cool me off from the sweltering summer heat on the outside.

And then I was on my way home to my beautiful hime and fiancée...man, I have to admit that I never saw this day coming, marriage was never on my mind when I was busy running the streets and being just a bad person in general, but now that my previous has died and been buried I have the chance at a new life where I'm not alone.

Sure it was nice, being by myself, no one to worry about pleasing besides myself and my clients, parents out of the equation, it was fine and dandy, but such as life goes...

...everything good _must_ come to an end, and my end was fiery and passionate surprisingly. I figured it would be filled with fire and brimstone, but it was shockingly mundane with very little theatrics. Why was it like this when my entire life was basically a living hell? Maybe god was just being nice to me for once...maybe _he_ thinks I'm hot and gave me a deal. Ha, as if, deities aren't known for deals and patience.

Now imagine my surprise when a saga in my life ended with a simple kiss on the lips from my favorite blonde woman in the entire universe. Yeah, it ended that day when we first expressed our romantic and sexual interest in each other. Lucky me? Possibly, but she's lucky if I say so myself...okay no _I'm_ the lucky one here.

After everything she's done for me there's no way that she's lucky with me, she gave me a home, a bed to call my own with her, supported me through all my issues and the times I was trying to heal from what happened in the past. Even when my parents passed away she was there for me, giving me a much needed shoulder to cry on.

Hell, the woman moved out of her parents house with the drop of a pin when they tried to screw her and me because I was a bad presence for them. I mean they weren't exactly incorrect, I _did_ get their house shot at by gang members and highly trained Konoha military forces for the sole reason of my past.

I cracked the window to let the smoke of my cigarette out when I heard that fated sound and saw the flashing red and blue lights. Cursing I pulled over and tried to figure out why I was being pulled over but I couldn't find a reason for it.

"License and insurance, ma'am." Was all the lone officer said as he watched me fetch my license and Ino's insurance card. I handed it over to him and watched him walk back to his patrol car to run the information and find, well, _nothing_. Surprisingly, again, I have a clean record but a bad reputation.

When the officer returned I saw one more car show up with another cop getting out, setting off alarms in my head. "Sir, may I ask why I'm being pulled over?" I asked with a quiet and polite tone. The law enforcer just snorted and handed my license and insurance back to me before wiping the sweat off of his head.

He cleared his throat before speaking in a stern voice. "No, and I'm afraid we have to search this vehicle for any drugs, I notice there's a pistol in the backseat, is that hand gun registered to you ma'am?" I nodded to the question. "Well, as protocol dictates we're going to have to search the vehicle for any other illegal contraband. Step out of the vehicle and stand in the alleyway, please." Not like I had a choice, amirite?

This decision proved to be a bad idea as the second that I made it into the alleyway in the shade, the second officer threw his hand over my mouth and tackled me, and not so surprisingly overpowering me easily before handcuffing my hands behind my back. All I could do is yell out a muffled cry for help as I was dragged behind a dumpster.

First cop joined us a second later and squatted down to my prone body, smiling sickly. "So, do you know why we're doing this?" Honestly no, I have no clue. "See, we're very good at remembering faces, and we remember when you thought you were such the thug. Where's your gang at now?" He asked, kicking me in the ribs harshly.

I coughed out in pain and agony as he repeated the process another three times. "We both lost a brother to your _stupid_ gang, to the fucking drugs and violence, so consider this a little _payback_ for all the pain _you_ caused us." W-wha...oh no...tears filled my eyes when I heard his zipper coming undone and his pants drop to the floor rapidly.

My muffled cries got louder when I felt the second cop start feeling on my chest, and then I heard a loud bang, and then two more loud bangs, and then the weight on my back seceded, toppling over to the side of me. I looked up to see that the officers weren't actually shot, just...knocked out?

"Yano, I hate when officers get a power trip and think they control everything." I looked over to the entrance to the alleyway and saw a man with dull but also long silver hair standing there, just munching on an apple and smiling brighter than the sun that occupied the sky right now.

Fresh tears filled my eyes when he walked over to me and undid my restraints. Filled with happiness I leapt up and wrapped the toad sage in a tight hug. "Thank you so much Jiraiya-san, I owe you majorly. I don't know how I would've gotten out if you did-" I guess it's his right to cut me off and just laugh.

He chuckled a little bit and made a waving motion with his hand. "Don't sweat it, I just did what was right. If I'm right, though, you have a fiancée to get home to." Wait, how did he know..."Oh, Naruto told me, we've been meeting and corresponding with each other regularly." Ah, makes sense, I'd tell someone too if I were him.

How am I gonna explain this one to Ino, though...

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _August 6th, 5:00 pm._

I've been wracking my brain day in and day out trying to make sense of this, but nothings come of it so far. Shino _can't_ be the killer, but at the same time he actually _can_ be the one we're looking for. And it's not my personal preference saying that he can't be the ripper, it's evidence and logic, but evidence and logic also say he can...

And it's hard to argue with evidence and logic...so why the fuck do I wanna find evidence and logic, grab them by their throats and slowly, agonizingly slowly strangle them to early deaths for each of them? Hmm, the world may never know to be honest. All I know is I'm a hares breath away from shooting everyone myself and running away.

Where would I go...hmm...maybe Kumo or Oto, they have a reputation for not caring about their citizens being psychopathic motherfuckers...nah, I quite like my life here, running away would mean having to leave my wife and child behind and that's not something I can see myself doing in any situation. Thick or thin, through hell or high water, this is our fight to win.

Speaking of fights, I can't believe Anko and Temari managed not to rip each others throats out and feast on each others esophagi. Esophagi or esophagus's? Or esophagus'? I don't know and quite frankly-oh, it's esophagi, thank you internet! Where would this world be without the internet?

Probably fighting wars against each other using secret ninja techniques that involve a lot of stupid shit like chakra and stuff...why am I having a feeling of Deja Vu right about now? Eh, it's probably nothing, let's just focus on what I have in front of me, which is multiple spread sheets, an open and encrypted laptop and a bagel. Yes, a bagel.

It's a five pm bagel, so it's okay guys, don't worry. "Dinners ready Shika-kun!" I heard my wife yell from the other room, prompting me to close everything I was doing, after saving it of course, and rush out of the room. This has me so frustrated that I was looking for any excuse to leave my office area in the garage, and this is it.

I made my way into the kitchen and planted a kiss on Temari's forehead before taking a seat at the table. One thing I don't fuck with is letting her cook no matter how tired she may be. It's the one thing she holds on to dearly with a death grip that rivals a tick latching onto you and sucking the life out of you. Okay, that's a bit exaggerated.

But I'm not gonna complain, she cooks really, _really_ good, and tonight's palette of meatloaf, green beans and homemade mac and cheese will do me just fine.

Asa was already down for a little nap after being fed by Temari so she should be good until she wakes up at eight like usual. She'll be up for another two hours or so until she gets another 'baba' and then a bath before being laid down. Her sleep habits are on track, but still doesn't change the weirdness of them.

Personally my thoughts were she slept too much, but then I looked at myself and just laughed a little but. She usually gets up about seven-ish, stays up until eleven or so, then naps for a few hours, gets up around two, stays up until her dinner at five-ish, sleeps a few more hours and then it's the final round of feeding, bathing and more sleep.

Must be nice being a baby, no worries about the killer running loose, worrying about maintaining a happy relationship with their partners, worrying about money, work, rest and trying to balance their time equally so they get enough sleep to make it through the day, but not too much so they don't sleep too late for things.

In my case it's wake up for school at six, shower, eat and go to school by seven thirty, get out after lunch and hightail it to I&T by noon so I can do my internship from noon till six, where I'd go home, eat and wash up only to have to be in bed to sleep for the next day by eleven or so. At least Temari got a helluva deal from Konoha.

She can do schooling at home while the baby is napping and still graduate as a Konoha student when we graduate, and she's smart so I know she'll figure things out. As for me, well, I know I'll figure things out, maybe it won't be so easy at first but Temari won't let me slip, and if I do, she'll catch me with ease and pick me back up. Isn't that one of the perks of being married?

"Hey baby, how was your day?" I asked the blonde haired woman I call wife, who sat my plate in front of me and sat to my right side. "Thanks for cooking again, I don't know what I would do without tasting this every night, it's a real lifesaver." And I wasn't lying, I actually look forward to eating every night now.

I got a smile and a peck on the cheek from her, something I've grown to love over these few months. "It was actually great, Asa's finally getting into a good rhythm and she's not so grumpy during the day. As for the food, yeah you'd starve, the first time you cooked will be your last until you get some damn lessons." Thanks for reminding me, hun.

Yeah, the day I almost burned the house down was the day I knew I wasn't destined to be the worlds best cook. I laughed a little alongside her as we dug into the meal, and as I figured it was the best part of the day. Speaking of sex, which we weren't, do you know how many times we've done the dirty in the past two months?

Twice. Yep, twice, when compared to the six to eight times a week before Asa came along, it's an astonishing number. I guess in the time spent with Asa and Temari relaxing and being a 'normal' family has taken the drive away. It's not like we needed it to be happy, but...it's like somethings missing in bed, and I don't know how to revive that.

And it's not like it's one of those things that I feel comfortable just asking someone, not even my parents nor a professional doctor or anything. Why is it such a weird thing to talk to someone about when it van legitimately make or break a lot of relationships? Maybe that's why it does, honestly, and that's why it does what it does to peoples love.

So where do I go from here? We're just eating dinner and Asa is in her room, and being out of the sexual game for so long has, admittedly, thrown me off my game. Anything I try to do right now I'm afraid it'll feel forced or unnatural to both of us.

And I find myself here, sitting and eating with thoughts of my nude and horny wife playing through my head. I guess you could say I'm having a _hard_ time focusing...okay no yeah that was bad even for me, but still what's a man to do? Hopefully she'll make her move first so I don't have to stress out over that.

I heard Temari clear her throat and start to speak, something we rarely did while eating. "Shika, uh...do you mind if I ask you a question? It's one I probably shouldn't ask at the table but I feel like I need to ask it before I explode." Strange, but I'll bite, giving her a nod to continue. "Er, I don't wanna offend you, but after Asa was born I feel like I don't, like, turn you on anymore." Ne, she doesn't turn me on? That's news to me.

Looking over to her I just smiled and laughed a little bit before replying. "What makes you think that? Is it because we haven't had that much sex since Asa was born?" She gave me a nod tentatively, as if she was afraid to say yes. "I know we haven't done it that much, but for the longest time I thought you just weren't in the mood and I wasn't gonna push you baby." Her face showed excitement, subtly but it was there, making me happy.

We found ourselves finished with dinner rather quickly tonight, moving ourselves to the couch in the living room, deciding that the dishes can wait for one night. Before she could make it to the couch I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her neck, making her moan a little bit at the sudden feeling.

"S-Shika, what're you doing?" The question came out, but I gave her no answer, instead continuing what I was doing in the first place, suddenly finding a good sexual boost.

Maybe it's the fact that it's the first time we've actually put our thoughts into actions in the past three weeks. Her moans and pants got stronger as I worked on her neck, and it made me feel accomplished hearing her react so positively to my actions. Maybe I still have it after all.

It didn't take a long time to work her into my hands like putty, forming her into the shape I wanted, and within a few minutes she was in just her bra and panties, sitting on the couch with her legs spread and an innocent look on her face. She bit her lip and looked me in the eye, practically begging me to come over and handle the situation.

After all, I _am_ the one who started it, and by god I will finish what I've started, mark my words. Diving to my knees my teeth latched on to her panties and dragged them down her legs and to her ankles, where I finished taking the off with my hands before getting a nice, long look at the dessert provided to me by my lovely life partner.

Licking my lips at the soaking wet treat before me and preparing myself I dove my tongue into her, eliciting a cry of pleasure from her, one I haven't heard escape her lips in, er, even _I_ don't know how long it's been since I've heard that from her. It was a hearty, passionate exclamation, one I'm hoping to recapture tonight, and it's working so far.

I ran my tongue in and out of her entrance, running my tongue up her flaps and to her clit where I flicked it with the tip of my tongue, getting more moans and whispers for me to continue and to never stop. Even I have to eventually, I have my limits too, the same as almost any other guy. Sadly that came quickly, but not before my conquest to make her cum all over my face came to fruition.

The loud of ecstasy she let out was one that I hadn't even heard in the past, well before Asa was even a thought. But it worked, and my first quest was complete, but that didn't mean she didn't have her own quests, and that realization came quickly when I found myself on the couch now, with her taking my place on the ground.

Her hands gripped my pants, taking them down an off before she did the same with my boxers, letting my unrestricted cock spring free, sticking out and forward as hard as it's been in what seems like eternity. I saw her bra pop off, exposing her easily DD chest, somewhere in the vicinity of thirty eight to maybe even forty.

With no words she gathered up saliva in her mouth before spitting it out onto my shaft, lubing it up and spreading the spit with her hand, stroking up and down and causing me to throw my head back in pleasure from the touch of her hand. She did this for a few minutes before taking the tip of my erection in her mouth.

She swirled her tongue around the tip while I grabbed the couches cloth, gripping onto it and holding on like I was on a rollercoaster. And honestly it felt like I was on one in this moment, the feeling of pleasure and joy building up in me. Her tongue and mouth worked up and down my cock, taking it all the way in and releasing it with a loud pop.

Five more minutes passed and my ending was growing closer and closer with each thrust of her head, bobbing as if she were at a fair and she was dunking her head in a tub to get an apple. She knew it was coming soon too, and a light went off in her head. I saw this and began to question what was running through her mind right now.

Before I knew it my limit was within sight and Temari knew it was coming as well, removing my member from her mouth and placing it right in the middle of her large, soft and silky tits. I knew there was a reason for the lotion on her skin. I could barely contain my grunts as she grabbed her breasts and bounced them up and down on my cock.

A minute later my pleasure train came to an end when I stood up, took my cock in my hand and rubbed it while she leaned back onto her hands after pointing to her chest, signaling to me that she wanted me to finish on her tits, and I wasn't opposed to the idea at all, it's something new after all, and new is good...sometimes.

It only took thirty seconds before my cum erupted from me and my erection, shooting out and landing on her chest, covering her supple boobs with the white and sticky stuff, some of it landing closer to her stomach and as high as her neck. What she did next kind of surprised me, she reached down and gathered as much of the semen as she could before stuffing her fingers in her mouth, licking my seed off of them before returning for more.

Soon enough her chest, neck and stomach were clean of it and she opened her mouth, showing me that she swallowed all of it. We sat in our places silently until one of us found the right words to say. "Ne...are you just gonna sit there or are you gonna come fuck this pussy, boy?" She asked, sparking the drive in me again.

No one asks me that and calls me 'boy' and she knows it...clever woman indeed.

This is why I married her, after all. Well that and I love her, so yeah. Privacy, please?

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _August 6th, 9:00 pm._

The stage was set and the time was right for this to happen, so why not? Neither me or Sakura, after six-ish hours of debating, could come up with a logical reason to say no to trying to get this going. Now the only worry is getting things going. How are we gonna do that? Well, just watch and see, they'll be home in the next thirty minutes.

Or at least that's what they said, you never know with boys. For all we know they could be coming home earlier than that. Hell, they could walk in the door right now and just catch us off guard. Not that I want that at all, but it's a possibility. We've prepared for this, talked it over, thought it over, and we're ready as ready can be in this moment.

We were in Sasuke and Sakura's room, the light was dimmed, we were in our daily clothes concealing the spicy outfits we were donning underneath and the scene was ready to go. We didn't _need_ any music, but it may just help de-intensify the situation if it gets a little out of hand. Thank god Fugaku and Mikoto were out for the night.

I looked Sakura in the eye and smiled, kissing her on the cheek gently. "You ready, 'Kura-hime?" The question came out quietly but still strong, getting a strong nod.

She's ready, and so am I...or so I think...look, things have been intense since me and Naruto got back together a month and a day ago, I just don't wanna risk angering him or making him feel like things are moving too fast for us. Our relationship has escalated since the fourth, but it's still not the same as it used to be.

But time was running out and soon it was fifteen past nine o'clock, leaving us with just a few minutes to prepare. "Ne, you okay 'Nata? You seem a little tense and nervous, I mean it's normal to be like that but it's kinda out of character for you." Fuck man, why does she have to notice _everything_ wrong with me? It's a reoccurring theme with us.

Sighing I put on a small, soft smile, preparing to spill the contents of my thoughts. "I don't know, Sakura, I just don't wanna piss Naruto off. We're already making progress, _good_ progress, and I don't want him to think we're moving a little too fast in our relationship. I hope this ends well..." I trailed off, sighing sadly and trying to smile.

My pink haired friend looked at me and smiled, her face brimming with happiness and gladness. "Hina, things will be just fine, Naruto is glad to have you back no matter what and you know it. Actually, I think _he's_ more afraid of moving too fast and startling you, so you're gonna have to buckle up and take control of situations like this, okay?" She asked me, putting a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it.

A real and genuine smile found it's way onto my face as I nodded to the girl in bed with me. She brought up a good point, _as usual_ , and I couldn't really argue with it, I guess this is why I listen to her more than I listen to anyone else. Well, besides Naruto, of course. Duh.

We passed the time playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would be the best to initiate the foursome, but after twenty games and tied at ten a piece we just called it a unanimous tie and came up with the idea to just do whatever we wanted to do, pretty much whatever felt natural and right, as right as a foursome can feel I guess.

I heard the front door jump open and hopped off the bed with Sakura, going out to inspect who it was even though we already knew it was the two boys. We were right, and they came swooping in before our respective lovers planted kisses on our cheeks. "We need to shower 'cause we're gross, Hina, so give us a minute please." Works for me.

All this meant was we can rework the plans and this one seems like it'll work out better than the other one. Naruto was in the guest shower and Sasuke was in his moms right now so that meant it was time to conquer and divide. I made my way into the guest restroom, sneaking in quietly so to not startle the man in the shower.

My hand grasped the shower curtain as I tugged it back, shocking Naruto and leaving his mouth agape. "H-Hina, what're you doin'?" Is that really a question that he needs to ask? He already knows what this means, so why is he even asking what I'm doing. What a doofus.

Putting on a sly smile I prepared to speak, but something stopped me. Whatever it was, a mental block of sorts or something, it was strong. "I...I don't know, Naruto, me and Sakura were planning something but...tonight isn't a good night and I just now realize that. Can I get in with you?" He nodded and I started undressing to my nudeness.

Just before I got in my phone buzzed on the bathroom counter, and the text I read made me giggle a little. _"Hinata, abort the mission I repeat abort the mission. Sasuke is onto me and I'm sure Naruto is by now."_ Sighing a little I hopped in the shower ready to wash off whatever the day has left on me, whether it be sweat or just bad juju.

Hopefully the rest of tonight goes smoother than it just did.

* * *

 _11:45 pm._

So far it has, the boys were understandably tired so we let them sleep and set up a little back porch smoke sesh, featuring my acoustic guitar. Inhaling the smoke into my lungs I pushed it out with a little bit of force, feeling the onset of the effects of the THC coursing through my veins. Thank god I don't have to worry about work or anything like that right now.

 _Out where the stones lay like bones by the ocean, out where the waves crash contempt on the land;_

 _Someone was trembling for fear of the tempest, somebody silently reached for their hand._

 _Said "Understand that if you're cold I'll keep you warm and besides, there's so much beauty in a storm,_

 _so come down with me to the shore and once more, I adore you."_

It was a somber ballad, the song I wrote, about a love like a storm that can wash away even the strongest of ties. Emo, amirite? I guess the one positive thing I can take away from my stint of being an idiot was the music I wrote. I never liked tabs, mainly chords, but this song deserves more than just chords.

 _So tell me what is there to fear? You think some seraph up above is trying to rob us of our love because the skies not clear?_

 _My dear, you know there's not, now listen to the rain upon the rooftop. But the wind picked up..._

Maybe I should try my hand at songwriting more, it's a good way to escape all the bullshit and put thoughts onto paper and then subsequently into song form.

 _Out where the stones stand up like thrones beside the ocean, out where the waves make a grave of the sea._

 _The lovers struggled in the middle of the tempest, and water angrily crawled up onto the beach._

 _Said "Hold my hand, and stay with me-we'll be released." But the tide clung like an anchor to her feet._

 _And though he tried to make the water line recede, it pulled her out into the sea._

To me this is a metaphorical way of saying that he tried to keep the relationship together, but the tempest-whatever was pulling them apart-clung onto her and dragged her away from him, splitting them up, and this next part is more despair than anything.

 _He could not break apart the waves to bring her safely back in, he watched her hand break through the surface one then disappear again._

 _Forever wait inside the sea for me, my dear, I hear you. You speak in every curling wave and sing in every violent breeze._

 _Someday not far away from here, my dear, I swear I'll see you. And we will hear the seraphs cry, they will still envy you and I._

 _How they envied you and I, how they envied you and I, how they envied you and I._

I let the song ring out as the last stanza rang in my head. He watched as the love died, drowned in the sea and swallowed by the tempest that overtook a love that had such strength and compassion. A love that stood strong until a simple storm shook it to it's foundation and tore it apart, leaving both of the parties lost, alone and distraught at having to start over again.

Hmm...kinda reminds me of a certain relationship...oh well, whatever, never mind. It's time for the next song. I kind of ignored Sakura's praise momentarily because...well...I don't know. I have my reasons. Doesn't mean they're all good, just most of the time they are...I hope.

 _I had a dream last night we drove out to see Las Vegas, we lost ourselves in the bright lights, I wish you could've seen us._

 _Begging for change to get home, or at least San Francisco, let's put a ten on the high card, and spend a summer on the west coast._

 _Down and to the left (here's a map and a pen, the place you pointed at), be California's best (all I ask, all I ask)._

Man, I don't know what it is about emo music right now but it's setting me off. Sakura helped sing the backing vocals because hot damn this song is excellent and emo and just the ultimate summer song. I don't blame her for not being able to resist the urge to burst out in song along with me.

 _And please don't tell me that I'm dreaming when all I ever wanted was to dream another sunset with you._

 _If I roll over when it's over, I'll take this Cali sunrise with me and wake up with the fondest memories._

Yeah, we're teenaged emo pieces of trash but we love it, and who cares? Not me, and not her, so deal with it...meanie ass mean pants...bleh...

 _We made love by the ocean, as the waves crashed around you, sunsets were never so bright, and the skies never so blue._

 _You opened up into my arms, and we laughed as I held you, I'll never go back to Georgia, at least not till I have to._

 _Down and to the left (here's a map and a pen, the place you pointed at), be California's best (all I ask, all I ask)._

The one thing I never understood about pop punk besides the recurring themes and shit was the rinse and repeat dong structure. Verse, bridge, chorus, verse, bridge, once more chorus, and then maybe switch it up with another bridge...wow, so innovative...but I love it.

And life is good right now, so I can't complain that much, not for the first time in forever...

* * *

 **A/N** : Well, it's over, and here we are, slowly but surely coming up on thirty chapters of this story. Thirty _chapters_. I never, not even once, thought that this was ever gonna get this far but it has. As much as a struggle it's been to put out chapter after chapter on a weekly basis every Tuesday (barring any interruptions or hiatus') I'm glad it has gone this way. And sorry that my typing is stuck in italic, I don't feel like fixing it so meh. Review, favorite and follow, please, ja ne! 


	29. Live Like You Were Dying

**A/N:** Yeah, it's been a while, but I haven't had the best past few months and really needed a break and time off from writing. I'm sorry I just up and quit writing except for my little side story, When In Rome, which you can definitely go check out and I'd greatly appreciate. But it's been rough, from having my house and car flooded in Hurricane Harvey, to dealing with having to rebuild with no help from anyone besides my family, it's been one helluva ride.

But I have a very big announcement to make at the end of this chapter, which is a rather short one, but it's jammed with a lot of stuff, so please read it all!

Ready? **Set.** **_Go!_**

 **Disclaimer:** I do NOT own any of the characters or locations, those belong to Masashi Kishimoto, but I DO own the OC of Asuka and Asa. Also, I don't own the lyrics in this chapter, they belong to Tim McGraw, of all people.

* * *

 **HINATA-POV  
**

* * *

 _August 7th, 11:00 pm._

Ugh, I was hoping to never have returned to school but unfortunately there isn't much of an option this time. Senior year...man things have came up quickly, in due time we'll be graduating, never required to step foot in those halls, sit in those classrooms and listen to the teachers drabble on and on ever again.

It's bittersweet, the more I think about it, something that's been a huge part of our lives and an integral part in our social expansion is coming to an end in a short amount of time. Well, it seems short to me, but it's really more like nine to ten months away, not including Christmas and thanksgiving breaks, of course.

But now it's time to celebrate my last night as a free woman...well, I'm not getting married but I'm about to have to hunker down and take this year seriously, economics class mainly because if I have any hope of going somewhere with my fathers business and continuing the tradition of the eldest Hyuuga in that gen owning it. Neji turned it down for his sports and I can't really blame him, so he's leaving it to me.

Thanks, 'cuz, you're really the best. This summer with him has been admittedly better than it has been in the past, even he'll say that he's finally woken up, opened his eyes and realized that we're _family_ , and family runs deeper than anything, er, most of the time it does, other times, well, not so much. It's a sad fact of life I have to live with.

I mean, look at Sakura, her family is a bunch of, no offense, deadbeats that can't get their head outta their asses and do the right thing. Yeah sure her father was a good man deep down inside but his life was marred with mistakes and bad judgment calls. Take, for instance, his decision to keep his ailments a secret to all but his bitch of a wife.

Oh well, life moves on, shit happens, things change and lives get rearranged. Like Shikamaru and Temari's, a baby is a _huge_ thing to happen to you and it can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you take it. I've been to their house for dinner with Naruto once and saw how they are with Asa though, and it brought a tear to my eye.

They took a shitty situation, weathered the stress and the storm and turned a pile of shit into a pile of diamonds, the priceless kind that cost millions upon millions of dollars and you can only buy them in specially certified stores or else they're most likely gonna be fake. Too much detail for a euphemism? Probably, but who cares?

People who spend too much time judging others, that's who, like Ino _used_ to be. Ino and Asuka are just another couple that define what it is to take a terrible situation and turn it around, flip it upside down and turn a hell hole into a heaven...post? I don't know how to reverse that saying honestly, it's one of the weirdest ones. Like, what's a hell hole?

Back on topic though, Asuka and Ino have persevered being kicked out of the place they were living in, had to force themselves to quit a drug cold turkey that no one can do without losing a lot of sleep and getting really sick. That and they've had to find a job and juggle working, paying bills and making it to school. Maybe I'll see em tomorrow...

Then again they may not have been able to balance both, we haven't talked much since the night that I had left Naruto...ouch, yeah, like that's something I wanna think about.

Things have been so well for us that I've tried my hardest to push any of the negative and ugly thoughts of the past out so I'm left with just the good memories of me and him being together. Not that I'm trying to 'deny' it happened, just right now we're both happy and I don't want to bring up those bad memories, they'll just put me in a bad mood.

And bad moods from me lead to him being in a bad mood, he'll think I'm about to do the same thing I did those two months ago, and that's something I don't want him to think right now, we're doing so good and I'm not gonna let anything jeopardize that, bad thoughts or memories be damned, they can die for all I care.

A part of me died when I left, something inside of me, and I don't know what it was but it's finally been resurrected and brought back to life leaving me to bury the part of me that took over when I was being an idiot. What was that part, though? Desire for freedom, desire for the old times to return, where I was safe to do what I wanted without the fear of hurting anyone besides myself?

Funny thing is that backfired and I ended up hurting both myself and Naruto the worst, even Sakura was hurt considering she considered me one of if not her ultimate best friend, someone she could turn to with anything, and that someone just up and walked away. So in hindsight yeah that was the dumbest move I could make. Did I enjoy it?

Well, the answer may surprise you, but both me and Naruto have agreed that this may have actually a good thing...kind of. Hear me out, being apart _sucked_ , yes, and I hurt a lot of people in the midst of this shit storm hitting us, but this has just made our bond stronger and stronger, so maybe there's a silver lining to this black cloud hovering.

My eyes floated down to the promise ring that was dangling from the chain it was on, resting itself snuggly in my cleavage. I can't believe I managed to hang on to this over the times. I have a habit of misplacing things unless I truly care about it, I guess part of me really held onto this through me being a little brat.

I digress, let's move topics again. Sasuke and Sakura have been doing really well, they're ready to get this school year over with so they can start a new chapter in their lives so they can move on from the past as well. Maybe it'll involve marriage, maybe it won't, ya never know with those two. They seem so happy that I don't think they need it.

They'd be just fine without a piece of paper saying 'hey, you two made a legal promise to be with each other for the rest of your lives so don't fuck it up'. Marriage is a weird thing indeed, something I don't wanna think about right now. I know Naruto wants to be married to me, and I to him, but right not isn't the best time. I'd give it a year.

What am I doing up this late though? I have to be up at six thirty tomorrow so I need to get some sleep.

Hinata Hyuuga, signing off, goodnight all...

* * *

 _August 8th, 11:15 am._

I don't think I've been this excited for lunch in years. We have a fifteen minute break before lunch so that gives me time to go and take a leak before eating. The gods have blessed us and giving all of us the same time this year for lunch...either that or the gods don't like this school and gave us these times to torment everyone in the cafeteria.

Making my way to the lunch table where all my friends and boyfriend sat I placed my tray down and sighed happily. "Hey Hina." Naruto said before planting a kiss on my cheek, an act I returned happily. As mundane as a cheek-kiss is I never got sick of getting them from my number one favorite hyperactive blonde and probably never will.

Smiling I looked over at the seniors I was sharing the table with and felt a wave of happiness hit me. Shikamaru was entangled in a conversation with Sasuke about this new album that came out a few days ago, Ino, Asuka and Sakura were chatting it up about a new book that came out that they all read, and that was it.

"How was Hatake's class?" I asked Naruto, who just laughed a little bit before answering me, going on about the horrors of physics. Kakashi reprised his role there, so did Ms. Yuuhi with art, Mr. Asuma with math, Mr. Hiruzen with history, Sensei Gai with PE and sports, Mrs. Nara with Geometry and Tsunade with health.

That was the basic class set we had. My schedule was History from eight fifteen till nine, physics from nine fifteen till ten, health from ten fifteen till eleven fifteen, lunch from eleven thirty till I have PE from twelve thirty till one fifteen, geometry from one fifteen till two and that was it. Two days of the week I had geometry in place of history and art in place of PE so there's that.

One thing I hate is physical activity right after eating but it's not like I had a choice. Art was an elective of sorts I chose, but I selected to keep history this year, even if it's only for three days out of the week. Call me a history nerd if you so please but I don't care personally, it's something I like so bite me.

Still, something felt _off_ about today, like something, or someone, was missing. I scanned the cafeteria and noticed everyone was here except one person. I couldn't quite put my finger on who it was or what his name was but he had an impact enough for me to notice his absence and that's enough for me to wonder who exactly it was.

My eyes wandered over to a door leading to the cafeteria where I thought I saw someone looking through the door, someone that looked exactly like my missing classmate that I was wondering about, but before I got a good look he disappeared. "Oi, earth to Hinata, I asked you what Mr. Hiruzen is covering this year." So much for that.

I turned my attention to Shika, who has asked the question and just smiled. "Sorry, thought I saw someone I knew, and right now the basics but next month we're gonna get into the feudal wars of the early ages, more specifically the sixteen hundreds and before." The pineapple haired man grimaced, he loved history and theory.

Assuming he wanted to learn the feudal wars I figured out his reason for the grimace; he'll be missing history for his internship. "Damn, and just when I thought I might just get a break I find out I'm missing my favorite time era." I know how bad that sucks, sophomore year I missed when they studied the witch trials.

Then again, that _is_ in sixteen ninety two, so maybe we'll cover it this year since it's in the sixteen hundreds...wait...did I just see what I thought I saw? It's like someone just opened a door and rolled something...into...the cafeteria...uh oh..."Naruto, guys get down!" I yelled, right before it hit.

An explosion rocked the lunch room sending debris flying and turning over a few tables. The force of the explosion sent me flying from my seat and onto the floor, knocking my head on it and creating a gash that caused disarray in my head. My eyes fluttered, closing and opening before finally shutting, but not before I saw something I didn't want to see.

Shino, with a gun, and he aimed it at a student, before I saw it happen I lost consciousness, floating away into dream land.

* * *

 **SHINO-POV  
**

* * *

 _August 8th, 11:45 am._  
 **  
**

It's time. "C'mon baby, you can do this, all you have to do is just unhook the pin, roll it into the room and watch the fireworks." Uwa whispered into my ear, coaxing me into doing as she wished. I nodded, doing as she said and pulling the pin, letting it roll and watching it land under a table of seniors, none of whom I knew personally.

And as she said the fireworks started, the explosion sent bits and pieces of the table and the occupants flying and sending the room into panic mode, with the numerous men, women and a few teachers trying to make their way to the exits only to find all of them chained and locked shut. All but one. And that's the one I was currently standing at.

Uwa clapped and giggled at the sight, kissing me on the cheek before brandishing her own gun, heading off to one of the exits to do god knows what. It was show time for me though as I grabbed one of the handguns from the duffle bag I brought into school after taking out a security guard with a knife to his throat, leaving it buried in his heart to the hilt. They'd know who I was after today anyways.

Creaking open the door I heard and saw the commotion before walking up to one of the kids who was trying to crawl away from his shattered table. "P-please, please help me sir-oh no!" Bang! And like that his life was extinguished. I turned the gun to a crying couple in the corner before firing into them, landing the shots perfectly in them.

I turned and looked at the door Uwa headed towards and saw her gunning people down through the window with her pistol, smiling like a mad man. Enough of that, I need to focus on my own mission. I turned my gun to a few more prone students and fired, taking them out and bringing my body count up to eight so far.

And then I saw the prone bodies of Shikamaru and his gang, and a bleeding Hinata. I forgot they were gonna be here...fuck, this makes things a little more difficult than it was in the first place. They'll get spared this time, I need to move on to bigger and better targets, like some of my underclassmen still in class.

Making my way down the hall after killing ten more students in the cafeteria I spotted the first classroom, a home economics class being taught by some older lady. "Ready, Shino-kun?" Uwa asked after seemingly ghosting over to me. I just looked at her and nodded, grabbing the shotgun from the duffel bag and lining my pockets with shells.

I made short work of the door, kicking it down after blasting the hinges with a shell each. Reloading I stepped into the classroom, not seeing anyone but hearing movements under the desks. "You can't hide, it's time to atone for your crimes against me." I said with a trembling voice, firing a shell under a desk and hearing that satisfying sound.

The buckshot hit skin, tearing open the wooden desk in the meantime and exposing the two targets I hit, a pair of boys. The thrill of that was almost enough to satisfy me, but my head kept calling for more, so I did the same with three more desks, bringing my body count to twenty seven. Twenty seven lives and it's still not enough...

After everything, _everything_ that I've been through, the pranks...oh the pranks...and this still isn't enough to satisfy my thirst for the blood of my tormentors, I want to hear their life leaving them, see their final moments, read the pain in their eyes like they did all those times they fucked with me. And I am _unstoppable_.

The next classrooms brought no surprises, but my count rose and rose to fifty five, leaving me no choice but to double back to the cafeteria where more students gathered and tried to huddle out the storm. It's time to bring out the big gun, a fully automatic submachine gun with a forty five round clip. Kicking open the cafeteria door I fired more rounds into it, hitting ten more students and killing five of them immediately.

"Shino! Put the gun down and end this! You don't need to continue this anymore, friend!"

My attention turned to the voice that interrupted me, and it was the Uzumaki kid. I chortled a little bit, laughing at his wanton usage of the word 'friend'. "Ha, don't say that you're my friend, Uzumaki, none of you knew I was hurting, you all knew I was being picked on yet you stood by and watched! Now, now I'm getting revenge." Bang!

Bullets ripped through a student by the blonde headed Hokage's heir, startling him. "I know, Shino, but there's no use in killing anymore people than you already have! All it's gonna do is further your jail sentence, so _please_ put the gun down." He...he's right...at least, I _think_ he's right.

With a trembling hand I moved the gun towards the ground, before something interrupted my train of thought. "Really, Shino-kun? You're giving up _that_ easy? And for this blonde idiot too! I'll take care of this little problem since you seem to not be able to." Wait, no! Before I could do anything Uwa fired three shots, hitting Naruto in the back.

He fell rather quickly, leaving my hands shaking as I saw the now immobile body of someone I _know_ is innocent. "Uwa! This is enough! I've already gone too far and so have you! This ends now, the police will be here soon enough and we'll both be in jail...well, I will, you might be, er, somewhere else." I raised the gun, aiming it at my lover.

A tear rolled down my face as her smiling face went from confused to angry and then desperate. "Shino...wait, no, we can work this out! C'mon Shino-kun, I love-" No, that's enough of that rotten misusage of the phrase I love you. Her words were cut off when a bullet tore through her skull, making her fall back, her lifeless body collapsing with a solid thud, blood spilling from the wound.

And just like that this nightmare...it's over...sinking to my knees I dropped the gun hearing the footsteps of the police get closer and closer. My eyes caught Hinata's and she managed to mouth out one word, and it's one I'm asking myself more and more. "Why?" Her raspy voice breathe out, before passing out again.

Honestly, I don't even know right now..."You have the right to remain silent." Yeah, I know, not like I have anything to say right now anyways. "Anything you say-" Can and will be used against you in the court of law, got it, it's not like I have any chance of getting out of this, I'm on camera and everything.

Just take me away and end this nightmare...please...

* * *

 **SHIKAMARU-POV  
**

* * *

 _September 8th, 5:30 pm._

I can't believe it's been a whole month since the incident at school. It seems like it's been a week, but a whole month? Nah. But it has, and here we are. Who would've known that Shino was living in such a hell, as bas as his crimes were I can't help but feel bad for him honestly.

Fourteen dead, twenty two injured, one of the deaths being the girl who put us all in this situation, but the hardest death to cope with has been the loss of..."Naruto!" Hinata yelled out, tears streaming down her face, thankfully they're tears of joy and happiness as he tackled her in a hug, tickling her sides and smiling like a madman who forgot to take his medicine for the day...or the _week_.

Chuckling at the two I turned to Temari and smiled, kissing her on the cheek gently and lighting my cigarette, taking a long drag off of it and looking over at Sakura, who was cooing at Asa, holding the girl in her arms and looking at her with a bright smile on her face. It's been rough, admittedly, since the attack, but we've all manage since then.

Naruto got it the worst of the living, but he made it nonetheless. Taking three bullets was not the most fun he's ever had, I can imagine, but he took it like a man and, praise the heavens, the shots only hit him in all of the right spots, making rehabbing easier than any of us thought it would.

Hinata got a few good cuts and a pretty bad concussion but she was, again, nonetheless okay. Sakura was the same, as well as Sasuke, they all got _extremely_ lucky, I admit.

Me? Well, I was the better off of us, admittedly. A concussion and whiplash was the worst I got, which was a lot better than some of the others, especially the ones that lost their lives. A memorial shrine was built in the middle of the small outdoors area that was placed in the middle of the school where students can go to get some fresh air and clear their minds before they went back into the school to further their learning.

As quickly as it started it was over, the majority of deaths coming from the initial blast from the grenade and the first round of shots. "I just can't believe that..." Me either, love, I can't believe that a lot of the things that happened, happened, but they did, and today is a day to try and find closure and rest from the nightmare of a month ago.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist from behind, laying a kiss on the top of her head as the thoughts continue to swirl through my head, much like the smoke of my cigarette swirling into the soon-to-set sun filled sky. Why did this happen? Well, we know why, it's just not that easy to accept, especially not saying goodbye to...

With a little bump from my finger I flicked the ashes onto the ground, dropping the cigarette onto the ground and grinding it out with my heel, tossing my hands into my pockets and lowering my head as the commotion continued around me, the sounds of my friends conversing, mingling and overall coping filling my ears.

Yet I'm still at a loss..."Shika-kun...it's gonna be okay, I know it's a tough thing to cope with but we're all doing our best to, so...can you please..." Can I please? I wish it was that easy, Temari-chan, but it's not. I know I didn't lose that much that day, but with _everything_ I've recently went through, and now _this_? Yeah, I'll try, but...

"I'll try my best for you, love, but there's no guarantees. I guess it's a little harder for me to swallow when coupled with all the recent tragedies that have been happening all across Konoha and the other nations." You think it was just here? A week and a half ago a Taki shopping mall got attacked by radical terrorists who killed a hundred people, injuring almost three hundred more, and just before that there was a bombing in Iwa, killing eighty five and injuring two hundred.

This world is going to shit, and we're just additions to the list of victims in this world. "It's not that hard, really..." She muttered, hanging her head immediately after she said it, not wanting to see my reaction to what she said, and rightfully so, as my face contorted in anger, disgust and confusion. _Not that hard_ , yeah fucking right.

"Yeah...not that hard...I need to go clear my head real quick." I said, dipping out and away from the group and leaving the park where we had gathered, the same park that I had ended up at when the law was chasing me, the same place...no, I can't think about it right now. No one noticed as I slipped away and headed to the car.

Opening the door I took a seat in the drivers seat, leaning the seat back and reclining, throwing my head back and sighing deeply. _Not that hard_. I'm sorry that I find it more hard than others to cope with it. Sure, I wasn't in love with the souls we lost, but it doesn't mean that I'm just gonna be over it in a month, that's not who I am as a person.

Man...I still remember what my dad told me a week or so after the shooting, just like it was yesterday...

 ** _Flashback-August 18th, 1:15 am._**

I don't know how, but when I find it hard to sleep at night I usually find myself here, sitting in my car and overlooking one of my favorite spots in all of Konoha. It was a little scary for some people, since the only thing separating you and a hundred and seventy foot drop into a river at the bottom of a chasm is a wooden fence.

Unsurprisingly it's a popular suicide spot, but as long as I'm here no one comes and tries 'cuz they know I won't let it happen. Cranking the radio up I let the words of the music I was listening to try and soothe me as I lit a joint, filling my lungs with THC and exhaling it, mouthing along to the words of the song.

 _He said I was in my early forties, with a lot of life before me, when a moment came and stopped me on a dime._

 _I spent of the next days looking at the x-rays, talking 'bout the options, and talking bout sweet time._

Country music was never my thing until recently. I don't know why, but it's struck a chord with me, and now I find myself just listening to it, letting the calm and soothing tones and voices wash over me.

Also, at the same time, it's a fucking ridiculous thing that I keep to myself for the most part. I think the only ones that wouldn't absolutely take the piss out of me for it is Naruto and Hinata, cuz they listen to it as well. We have a lot in common, us three, more than I originally thought, honestly, especially now more than ever.

It's funny, at least to me it is, that such tragedy can either bring people together and make their bonds stronger than ever, or it can break them down to a point to where a lot will never be able to recover from. There's a few examples of the first one, the biggest one being the strengthening of a lot of my friendships, specifically the friendship of me, Hinata and Naruto, which was strong before, but now it's stronger than before.

We talk to each other every night, even as Naruto is in the hospital recovering from the wounds caused by the actions of someone I thought was a friend of ours, and he was, but something was going on with him, something he didn't share with anyone, and while I want to blame him for not at the same time it's not exactly easy to mention.

Back to that hyperactive blonde dude that I call friend, he's been okay for what's been dealt to him. Gunshot wounds, a nasty concussion, he really got dealt a shitty hand but he'll manage, surely. Hinata has been as good to him as she can possibly be, and I commend her for that, as she's dealing with the mental repercussions of what happened.

Admittedly, and not by just me but literally _everyone_ we know, I'm the most mentally strong, next to Sasuke, but even this has me shook to my core, which shocked us all.

What about the last one I mentioned? Well, Asuka and Ino handled it the worst. Their physical injuries are minute and minimal, but they're not exactly handling the mental trauma all that good, they've mainly stayed shut in their apartment, barely managing to go to work and pay their bills, which is good enough for them, I guess.

From what I've heard they've been using again, which isn't a good thing, but we've all tried to break through to them, each time it was to no avail. Maybe they'll wise up one of these days and come back to us, but there's always the option that they'll continue on this path and continue to shut us out until it's too late and we all move on.

Sakura has tried the hardest, but..."Fuckin' hell, man..." I sighed out, leaning my head against my steering wheel and resting my eyes, staying there until a tap came on my window five minutes later, making me jump a little before I realized who it was that was disturbing me. "Dad? What could you possibly want so late?" I muttered out, waving for him to get in the car with me.

He opened my door and quickly got in, shutting the door quickly so as little smoke as possible escaped the car. "Hey son, I knew I'd find you here, figured you probably want some company." He said with a chuckle, knowing well that this is where I got to be alone, the exact _opposite_ of company.

I gave him a look that easily read 'no, not really, but it's not like I can say no' before turning the radio down and offering him one of the joints I had rolled. "Is that what you were coming for, or is it to just bug me?" I asked, getting another chuckle from him and he accepted the offer, shaking his head as he lit it up.

"No, son, I'm a grown ass man and can get my own weed, I came here because we really need to talk." About what? "Don't try and fool me, Shika, me and your mom raised you from birth until you were grown enough to leave us so let's just cut the shit and get right to the point." I can already tell I'm not gonna enjoy this very much..."Shika, me and your mom can see it in your eyes, no matter how strong you're trying to act we can see you're just as devastated as everyone else."

A full on laugh escaped my throat as I looked at my dad, and as I was about to do exactly what he told me not to try and do something clicked in me, and I just let out a long and deep sigh. "Yeah...I am...but what can I do? I've been trying my best to stay ad strong as I can, and so far it's been working, but..."

My dad looked at me and just smiled, putting his hand on my shoulder. "I know how you feel, son, even though I've never been through anything like this. But you can't live life always hiding behind a tough façade, you have to let people see that you're not okay. What do you think drove Shino to do what he did? Silence. Silence because he was afraid that people were gonna judge him."

Is he trying to say that I'm gonna go shoot up a school like him? "Now, this isn't to say I think you're gonna do the same thing he did, but my point is that you don't have to hide behind a wall, Shika. Let your walls down, let everyone come in, and let them help build you up, just like you're gonna help build them up." Huh, who'd have thunk it?

Letting my dad's words sink in I looked over and smiled, giving him the best hug I could while in a car. "Thanks, dad, I needed that. I don't know if I can let them down all at once, but I do need to let them down slowly but surely. We need to do this _together_ , not alone, or else...or else you end up like Asuka and Ino." Sad, yet true.

Maybe this'll be easier than it seems.

But maybe it won't.

Only time will tell.

 _ **Flashback end, return to present.**_

Open up, Shika, how hard is that? A lot harder than it seemed at the time, that's for sure, as I still haven't had the courage to open up and tell everyone that I've been in a really bad spot ever since the attack. But now is a better time than never, right? The one month anniversary of the cause of the current topic of mental conversation.

I opened the car door and stepped out, taking steps towards the group of people that are most likely wondering where I am, my feet moving slower than ever. At least that's what it feels like. Eventually I made it to the park, eyeing over all my friends, my child and my wife, as they all slowly turned and looked at me.

Part of me thinks they already know what's coming but they're waiting for me to say something. Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but I held my had up, cutting him off so I could speak. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but if I don't just come out and say this right now then I'll never say it." If that didn't tip them off then I don't know what could. "Guys, ever since the attack I've been having a hard time coping with it, and it's been leaving me sleepless at night half the time, and the other half of the time the sleep I get is so bad that I'm not sure you can even call it sleep, honestly." Well, I've gotten this far, can't stop now.

"And I never wanted to say any of this because I've been doing my best to be everyone's rock, the one person everyone can go to and lean on when they need someone to be there for them, but it's getting harder and harder to be that man when I'm unsure of how much longer I can even support myself. So I'm sorry, guys, I know today we're supposed to be remembering what happened and overcoming it, but this can't go on any more, or else I'll end up just like Ino and Asuka." Phew, that felt...good, actually.

For a moment everything just paused, silence once more upon us, before it all began. "Oh come on, Shika, you really thought we were gonna hate you because you were suffering just like everyone else is?" Well, kinda Naruto, but obviously I was wrong.

"Yeah, I mean this isn't exactly an easy thing to just brush off. Not for me, nor anyone here, nor for Ino and Asuka, albeit the way they're coping and managing isn't exactly the best...but you get the point, pineapple head." Yeah, yeah, I get the point, 'Nata, but the pineapple head thing...ah screw it, I'm pineapple head, loud and proud.

"What she said." Figures Sasuke would just ditto someone else, he's not exactly a strong speaker. "Ow! Okay, damn it, I'll say something else. I'm the stoic one but look at me, it's obvious I'm hurting too, and as you can imagine it's sucked having to come out of my shell, who's to say you can't do it?" True enough, buddy.

Sakura was next, after forcing Sasuke to talk more. "I mean he said it best, but I'm a little baby that cries when someone on a television show dies, so I have no room to talk really. But we're all here for you." I can see that, now more than ever...

"Shika-kun...I don't know why you felt like you couldn't trust me enough to talk to me about this, but I don't exactly blame you. Just make me a promise, not just for me but for Asa's sake, that you'll never bottle yourself up like this, _ever_ again." I think, no, I _know_ I can do that.

And then it happened, one of my least favorite things, but this time I'll let it slide, as everyone closed in on me and wrapped me up in a group hug, capping off what little festivities we had going on. The barbecue, the conversations, they were all a thought in the back of our heads as we all embraced, holding each other tightly.

Ino, Asuka, I wish you were here, but there's one more person that's missing from this...

Mr. Sarutobi.

Hiruzen.

Teacher.

Friend.

You will be missed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Am I a dick for killing off Hiruzen? Maybe, but my DM's are always open for you to let me know, or let me know in a review. Granted anyone is still reading this, even after my abrupt hiatus. But this is the end of this part of the series, and I'll be posting the first chapter for part two, The Right Path (cheesy, I know, but if you have a better idea on what to name it get at me.), soon. I know, last time I said soon it took over four months, but I _promise_ it won't be more than a month until I release the first chapter for the continuation of this story.

I want to start part two off right as graduation ends, and in typical 'me' fashion, there _will_ be a party. But once more, I promise it won't be just like any other party. Expect big things to happen, more twists than a M. Night Shamalayan movie (okay, that's stretching it admittedly) and more fun to ensue.

To everyone who has followed this story, even if you started from chapter one to twenty eight, I _greatly_ appreciate it, and to everyone who reviewed you get the biggest tip of my southern hat ever. Stay tuned, part two is coming soon, and as always, **_favorite, follow and review_** , Ja fuckin' ne!


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